Method and apparatus for subscription-based shipping

ABSTRACT

Computer-accessible medium and apparatus for providing subscription-based shipping of items. Embodiments may provide mechanisms that allow customers of an e-commerce Web site to pay a fee to obtain a subscription in a shipping program that provides subscribed customers with free and/or reduced-rate shipping for at least some items ordered via the e-commerce Web site during the period covered by the subscription. The Web site may provide user interface elements on the Web site that may provide one or more shipping and possibly other options only to subscribed customers. Some embodiments may provide mechanisms that allow a subscriber to share a subscription to the shipping program with other customers. One embodiment may provide a mechanism through which a subscribed customer can invite other customers to share a subscription. Some embodiments may provide other exclusive services and/or offers to the subscribers of the shipping program that are not provided or offered to non-subscribers.

PRIORITY INFORMATION

This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/648,500 filed Jan. 31, 2005 titled “Method andApparatus for Subscription-Based Shipping” which is hereby incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a computer network-based service and relateduser interfaces for reducing shipping charges.

2. Description of the Related Art

Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distribution centers, and otherdistributors of product or goods (which may collectively be referred toas distributors) typically maintain an inventory of various items thatmay be ordered by and shipped to clients or customers. This inventorymay be maintained and processed at a materials handling facility orfacilities such as distribution centers, cross-docking facilities, andorder fulfillment facilities. FIG. 1 illustrates a broad view of theoperation of a conventional distributor. Multiple customers 10 maysubmit orders 20 to the distributor, where each order 20 specifies oneor more items from inventory 30 to be shipped to the customer thatsubmitted the order. At order fulfillment 40, the orders may beprocessed by the enterprise to fulfill the customer orders 20. The oneor more items specified in each order may be retrieved or “picked” frominventory 30 in the materials handling facility. The picked orders maythen be packed and shipped 50 to the customers 10. Note that a shippedorder does not necessarily include all of the items ordered by thecustomer; a shipped order may include only a subset of the ordered itemsavailable to ship at one time from one inventory-storing location.Typically, the customer is billed for the items(s) in the order and forcharges related to shipping the order to the customer.

The increasing scope of electronic commerce (e-commerce), fueled by theubiquity of personal computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web,has resulted in striking changes to the ways customers may shop for andpurchase products from distributors. Virtual storefronts, which may bereferred to as “e-commerce Web sites”, in which customers may viewproduct information including features, specifications, appearance,pricing, availability, have become commonplace even among wholesalersand retailers who have maintained physical customer presences (e.g.,“brick-and-mortar” storefronts). Much commerce is already beingconducted exclusively through e-commerce Web sites by productdistributors lacking any other customer presence. Electronic commerceusing virtual storefronts may offer many advantages, such as lower costoverhead (e.g., due to lack of sales personnel, lack of physicalstorefronts, highly automated ordering processes, etc.), and a potentialcustomer base limited only by the reach of the Internet. A productdistributor that provides a “storefront” for customers exclusivelythrough an e-commerce Web site, or the portion of a product distributorthat provides an e-commerce Web site for customers while the distributormaintains physical customer presences, may be referred to as an“e-commerce enterprise”.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary e-commerce enterprise that provides a“virtual storefront” to customers via an e-commerce Web site. Multiplecustomers 110, through access to the Internet 100, may order one or moreitems from the e-commerce enterprise 102 via an e-commerce Web site 104(or Web sites) serving as a “virtual storefront” for the productdistributor. The Web site 104 may generate orders 120 for the customers,where each order 20 specifies one or more items from inventory 130 to beshipped to the customer that submitted the order. The orders may beprocessed 140 by the product distributor to fulfill the customer orders120. The one or more items specified in each order may be retrieved or“picked” from inventory 130 in a materials handling facility. The pickedorders may then be packed and shipped 150 to the customers 110. Notethat a shipped order does not necessarily include all of the itemsordered by the customer; a shipped order may include only a subset ofthe ordered items available to ship at one time from oneinventory-storing location. Typically, the customer is billed 106 forthe items(s) in the order and for charges related to shipping the orderto the customer.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of a method and apparatus for providingsubscription-based shipping of items to customers are described.Embodiments may provide mechanisms that allow customers of a Web-basedelectronic commerce (e-commerce) enterprise's Web site to pay a fee toobtain a subscription in a shipping program offered to customers of thee-commerce enterprise that provides the customers with free and/orreduced-rate shipping for at least some items ordered via the e-commerceenterprise's Web site during the period covered by the subscription. Inembodiments, in paying for a subscription to the program, a customer mayessentially be pre-paying a fixed shipping charge for the period of thesubscription instead of paying a per-order shipping charge. In oneembodiment, a subscriber may purchase as many items as desired at anytime they desire during the duration of the subscription to takeadvantage of the reduced or free shipping, thus not having to reach somethreshold of the number or cost of ordered items to obtain reduced orfree shipping costs.

In embodiments, the e-commerce Web site may provide various shippingprogram user interface elements on item detail pages and/or other pagesof the Web site that may display one or more shipping options andpossibly other options or services available only to customerssubscribed to the shipping program. In one embodiment, these shippingprogram user interface elements may only be displayed when the variousWeb pages of the e-commerce Web site are accessed by subscribedcustomers. One or more user interface elements for subscribing to theshipping program may be displayed to all customers of the e-commerce Website.

Some embodiments may provide one or more “single action” user interfaceelements through which a customer, via a single action on a userinterface presented to the customer, such as a Web page, may initiateone or more services of the subscription-based shipping program. Someembodiments may provide a user interface element via which a customermay subscribe to the shipping program via a single action, for example asingle selection of a “subscribe now” button. Some embodiments mayprovide one or more single-action user interface elements, for exampleon an item detail page, via which a subscribed customer may initiate anorder for an item provided by the e-commerce enterprise according to oneor more shipping options provided to the subscribed customer by theshipping program, wherein each shipping option is associated with aparticular one of the single-action user interface elements. In thisembodiment, a single action by the subscribed customer on a userinterface provided by the e-commerce enterprise's Web site to select aparticular one of the shipping options provided by the shipping programautomatically initiates the purchase order, processing, and shipping ofan item offered by the e-commerce enterprise's Web site according to theselected shipping option.

The subscribed customers (or subscribers) may be pre-existing customerswith accounts for accessing the e-commerce enterprise's Web site or newcustomers creating new accounts for accessing the e-commerce Web site.Items ordered under the shipping program may be shipped to thesubscriber's shipping address or, alternatively, to a third-partyaddress specified or selected by the subscriber. In one embodiment, thesubscriber may elect to have membership automatically renewed at the endof the subscription period, or alternatively a membership may beautomatically renewed unless cancelled by the primary subscriber (thecustomer that originally obtains the subscription). In some embodiments,certain items offered by the e-commerce enterprise may not be eligiblefor the shipping program.

Some embodiments may also provide one or more mechanisms via thee-commerce Web site that allow a subscriber to share a subscription tothe shipping program with one or more other customers. These embodimentsmay provide a mechanism by which a primary subscriber may share thesubscription with one or more other customers, such as residents of theprimary subscriber's household. In one embodiment, a mechanism may beprovided for a primary subscriber to invite one or more other customers(e.g., members of the primary subscriber's household) to share thesubscription. The invited customers may then accept, reject, or justignore the invitation. In one embodiment, there may be an upper limit onthe number of customers that a membership may be shared with.

An exemplary subscription-based shipping program may allow any customerof the e-commerce enterprise to pay an annual membership fee to receivebenefits including, but not limited to: free 2-day shipping on ordereditems, or free standard shipping if 2-day shipping is not available foran item; next-day shipping on ordered items at a reduced cost per item;shipping either to the subscriber's address or to third-party addresses;the ability to share the membership at no additional charge with one ormore other customers, such as residents of the primary subscriber'shousehold.

Note that the above is an exemplary subscription-based shipping programand is not intended to be limiting; other implementations may be set updifferently. For example, other implementations may provide only onediscounted or free shipping method for subscribers to the program (e.g.,free 2-day shipping), or more than two discounted and/or free shippingoptions for subscribers the program. As another example, implementationsmay issue subscriptions to the program for different periods or usingother models; for example, implementations may offer one or more ofmonthly subscriptions, bi-annual subscriptions, annual subscriptions,and lifetime memberships, or combinations thereof. Also note that someimplementations may offer tiered subscriptions that may providecustomers the option select from two or more levels of the shippingprogram, possibly for different subscription fees, which may be offeredfor different periods and/or that provide different levels of shippingdiscounts or other services.

Some embodiments may offer benefits, special offers, and/or exclusiveservices to the subscribers of the shipping program that are not offeredto non-subscribers; for example exclusive and/or first access to specialitems or special offers, and/or special “fast track” handling of thesubscribed customer's orders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a broad view of the operation of a conventionaldistributor.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary e-commerce enterprise that provides a“virtual storefront” to customers via an e-commerce Web site.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary systemconfiguration for implementing an embodiment of a subscription-basedshipping program as described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing asubscription-based shipping program to customers according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of subscribing customers toa shipping program via a single action by the customer according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of accepting subscriptionsto a shipping program received via a Web services interface according toone embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing invitations toa subscription to a shipping program according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing ordersreceived via a Web services interface according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a customer accessingand using the subscription-based shipping program according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a subscriber invitinganother customer to share a subscription in the subscription-basedshipping program according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary Web page that includes an offer to jointhe subscription-based shipping program, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 12A through 12C illustrate exemplary Web pages via which customersof the e-commerce Web site may subscribe to the subscription-basedshipping program according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary subscribermay view and edit information about the subscription, includinginformation on invited customers and customers that have acceptedprevious invitations, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary subscribermay invite other customers to share the subscription to the shippingprogram according to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which an invited customermay accept an invitation to share a subscription according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary item detail Web page via which aprimary or secondary subscriber may view information about an item andorder the item according to one or more shipping options offered by theshipping program, if desired, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary item detail Web page via which aprimary or secondary subscriber may view information about an item andorder the item if desired, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary orsecondary subscriber may view information about items that have beenadded to a cart or collection of items that the customer may order, ifdesired, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 19 through 21 illustrate an exemplary architecture forimplementing embodiments of a subscription-based shipping program on ane-commerce Web site of an electronic commerce enterprise according toone embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of acomputer system.

While the invention is described herein by way of example for severalembodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments ordrawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings anddetailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention tothe particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes onlyand are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description orthe claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is usedin a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), ratherthan the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words“include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including, but not limitedto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of a method and apparatus for providing subscription-basedshipping of items to customers are described. Embodiments may providemechanisms that allow customers of Web-based electronic commerce(e-commerce) enterprises to pay a fee to obtain a subscription ormembership in a shipping program offered to customers of the e-commerceenterprise for a period (e.g., a month, six months, a year, etc) thatprovides the customers with free and/or reduced-rate shipping for atleast some items ordered from the enterprise (for example, ordered froma Web site of the enterprise) during the period covered by thesubscription. In embodiments, in paying for a subscription to theprogram, a customer may essentially be pre-paying a fixed shippingcharge for a period (a month, six months, a year, etc.) instead ofpaying a per-order shipping charge based upon the number of itemsordered, the size and/or weight of the items, or other factors. Insteadof customers paying per-unit charges for every order for shipping,embodiments provide a subscription-based shipping program with a fixedsubscription, and thus shipping, cost for the subscriber. In oneembodiment, subscribers to the program may be allowed to order as manyeligible items as they want during the duration of the subscriptionwhile paying a fixed charge (the subscription fee) for shipping thatcovers the duration of the subscription.

In embodiments, the e-commerce Web site may provide various shippingprogram user interface elements on item detail pages and other pages ofthe Web site that may display one or more shipping options and possiblyother options or services available only to customers subscribed to theshipping program. In one embodiment, these shipping program userinterface elements may only be displayed when the various Web pages ofthe e-commerce Web site are accessed by subscribed customers. One ormore user interface elements for subscribing to the shipping program maybe displayed to all customers of the e-commerce Web site.

Some embodiments may provide one or more “single action” user interfaceelements through which a customer, via a single action on a userinterface presented to the customer, such as a Web page, may initiateone or more services of the subscription-based shipping program. Someembodiments may provide a user interface element via which a customermay subscribe to the shipping program via a single action, for example asingle selection of a “subscribe now” button. In these embodiments, thecustomer may be subscribed to the program using customer information,including, but not limited to, shipping address, billing address, andpayment method information, that the customer has previously provided,for example in the process of setting up a user account with thee-commerce enterprise's Web site.

Some embodiments may provide one or more single-action user interfaceelements, for example on an item detail page, via which a subscribedcustomer may initiate an order for an item provided by the e-commerceenterprise according to one or more shipping options provided to thesubscribed customer by the shipping program, wherein each shippingoption is associated with a particular one of the single-action userinterface elements. Note that, in one embodiment, these single-actionshipping options may only be presented to subscribed customers, and notto non-subscribed customers. In this embodiment, a single action by thesubscribed customer on a user interface provided by the e-commerceenterprise's Web site to select a particular one of the shipping optionsprovided by the shipping program automatically initiates the purchaseorder, processing, and shipping of an item offered by the e-commerceenterprise's Web site according to the selected shipping option. In thisembodiment, customer information associated with the subscriptionincluding, but not limited to, shipping address, billing address, andpayment method information may be used in the automatic processing ofthe order in response to the single action selection of the shippingoption.

Note that, in some embodiments, one or more other single-action items toinitiate other services provided by the e-commerce Web site may bepresented to subscribed customers and/or to non-subscribed customers ofthe Web site. For example, in one embodiment, all customers that have anaccount with the Web site, whether subscribed or not subscribed to theshipping program, may be presented with a single-action user interfaceelement for initiating a purchase order on the item detail pages ofqualified items offered for sale by the Web site.

A method and system for the single-action initiation of a purchase orderis described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411, titled “Method and System forPlacing a Purchase Order via a Communications Network”, issued Sep. 28,1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The subscribed customers (or subscribers) may be pre-existing customerswith accounts for accessing the e-commerce enterprise's Web site or newcustomers creating new accounts for accessing the Web site. Itemsordered under the shipping program may be shipped to the subscriber'sshipping address or, alternatively, to a third-party address specifiedor selected by the subscriber. Note that, in some embodiments, certainitems (for example, heavy and/or large items) may not be eligible forthe shipping program, for example because it may not be cost-effectivefor the enterprise to ship the excluded items under the shippingprogram.

In one embodiment, the subscriber may elect to have membershipautomatically renewed at the end of the subscription period, oralternatively the membership may be automatically renewed unlesscancelled by the primary subscriber (the customer that originallyobtains the subscription is the primary subscriber; other customers withwhich the subscription is shared may be referred to as secondarysubscribers).

Some embodiments may provide one or more mechanisms via the e-commerceWeb site that allow a subscriber to share membership in the program withone or more other customers. These embodiments may provide a mechanismby which a primary subscriber may share the membership in the program,at no additional charge or, alternatively, for an additional fee, withone or more other customers, such as residents of the primarysubscriber's household. In one embodiment, there may be an upper limiton the number of customers that a membership may be shared with. In oneembodiment, a mechanism may be provided for a primary subscriber toinvite one or more other customers (e.g., members of the primarysubscriber's household) to share the membership. A mechanism may beprovided through which the invited customers may then accept theinvitation to become secondary subscribers, reject, or just ignore theinvitation. Alternatively, the primary subscriber may be allowed todirectly add one or more customers to the subscription without issuinginvitations to the customers.

Some embodiments may include a mechanism or mechanisms forauthenticating invited customers and/or verifying that invited customersare from the same household (or, alternatively, from some other entity)as the primary subscriber. As an example, the primary subscriber, wheninviting another customer to share a subscription, may be asked toprovide the primary subscriber's birth date and the birth date of theinvited customer. The invited customer may then be asked to provide thebirth dates to authenticate/verify the invited customer. Alternatively,other personal information or combinations of personal information maybe used to authenticate invited customers and/or to verify that theinvited customers are from the same household as the primary subscriber.In one embodiment, an identity service may be used to authenticateand/or verify invited customers.

Embodiments may allow an e-commerce enterprise to increase its databaseof customer personal information, such as birthday information, bycollecting personal information to authenticate/verify invitedcustomers, which may provide the enterprise with more opportunities formerchandising directed at the personal needs of the customer or tailoredto the personal information of the customer, for example merchandisingrelated to the birthday of the customer. In addition, the ability toshare the subscription with other customers may generate new customersfor the e-commerce enterprise that might not otherwise access thee-commerce enterprise's Web site to order items.

Note that a customer may subscribe to the subscription-based shippingprogram independently of any other given order for items, products orgoods from the e-commerce enterprise. Subscription to the shippingprogram may be: a different, independent transaction than an order foran item or items, that may occur at any time and that may be separatelypaid for, and that may then be applied to any customer selection orcombinations of selections of items from all or a portion of the itemsoffered in the enterprise's catalog of items. Items that the subscribedcustomer may or does order under the shipping program are not selectedfor the customer by the enterprise, though in some implementationscertain items may not be eligible for the shipping program.

In one embodiment, both subscribed and non-subscribed customers, whenthey are presented with an offer for an item by the e-commerceenterprise, for example on an item detail page of the e-commerceenterprise's Web site, may see the exact same item at the exact samesales price. The difference is in how payments for the items arestructured; the items are not offered at different prices to subscribedand non-subscribed customers. Instead, subscribed customers may beoffered, and billed at, different, lower shipping rates, according tothe shipping options offered by the shipping program, for similarshipping methods for the same priced items than are non-subscribedcustomers. In other words, shipping charges are not built into the priceof the items. Embodiments provide the ability for subscribed customersto order and pay for as many items as they like for the same price asnon-subscribed customers would pay, while obtaining reduced or freeshipping for the items.

While embodiments are generally described as providing subscribedcustomers with the same items for the same prices as are provided tonon-subscribed customers, while providing the subscribed customersshipping options that provide free and/or reduced-rate shipping for theitems, note that some embodiments of a subscription-based program mayalternatively provide the same shipping for the items, but reducedprices for the items, to the subscribed customers.

Conventional shipping programs are typically threshold-based; thecustomer may be required to order a certain number or cost of items toobtain the benefit of reduced or free shipping. Through embodiments ofthe subscription-based shipping program as described herein, asubscriber may buy as many items as desired at any time they desireduring the duration of the subscription to take advantage of the reducedor free shipping, thus not having to reach some threshold of the numberor cost of ordered items to obtain reduced or free shipping costs. Thismay help reduce or eliminate the concern of shipping costs out of thesubscriber's purchasing decision.

Embodiments may allow e-commerce enterprises to expand their base ofconvenience-oriented (as opposed to value-oriented) customers.Embodiments may help to reduce or eliminate shipping cost as a factor inthe buy from a “brick-and-mortar” storefront vs. buy online orderingdecision of customers. A subscribed customer may be motivated to ordersome items from the e-commerce enterprise's Web site rather thanpurchase them from a store that the customer would perhaps otherwise buyfrom if shipping charges were attached to ordering the item online.Embodiments may reward customers who purchase often by lowering theirshipping cost per order/item. Embodiments may provide an incentive forsubscribed customers to purchase more items once they reach thebreak-even threshold for shipping costs because the customersessentially get free shipping from then on.

The subscription-based shipping program may make it relatively simpleand straightforward for the customer to understand shipping charges whencompared to other shipping programs, and may simplify order processingand billing in the e-commerce enterprise systems that implement theprogram. Embodiments may provide a predictable and easy-to-modelshipping revenue stream for product distributors. Note that,“distributor”, as used herein, may apply to any entity that distributesproducts or goods to customers. A distributor may be a manufacturer, awholesaler, a retailer, a distribution center, or in general any entitythat distributes products, goods or items to customers. In embodimentswhere orders are shipped periodically to the subscribed customer or twoor more customers that share a subscription, for example once per weekor once every two weeks, the product distributor may be able toconsolidate multiple orders for a subscribed customer or customers intoa single shipment. By allowing the product distributor to bundle andship multiple orders for one or more customers together to one shippingaddress, consolidation may help the distributor to simplify and optimizethe order fulfillment process and reduce its own shipping costs. Notethat, since a subscription may be shared by multiple customers thatshare one shipping address, consolidation may be further enhanced.

Embodiments may generate more orders being shipped according to aparticular shipping option, for example second-day shipping ifsecond-day shipping is provided free to subscribers. A higher volume ororders being shipped using a particular shipping option may provideleverage with shipping vendors to the product distributor, which mayallow the distributor to obtain lower shipping rates or specialarrangements with a shipping vendor or vendors that give competitiveadvantage to the product distributor.

An exemplary subscription-based shipping program may allow any customerof the enterprise to pay an annual membership fee to receive benefitsincluding, but not limited to: free 2-day shipping on ordered items, orfree standard shipping if 2-day shipping is not available for an item;next-day shipping on ordered items at a reduced cost per item; shippingeither to the subscriber's address or to third-party addresses; and theability to share the membership at no additional charge with one or moreother customers, such as residents of the same household (there may bean upper limit on the number or relationships of other customers thatthe membership may be shared with).

Note that the above is an exemplary subscription-based shipping programand is not intended to be limiting; other implementations may be set updifferently. For example, other implementations may provide only onediscounted or free shipping method for subscribers to the program (e.g.,free 2-day shipping), or more than two discounted and/or free shippingoptions for subscribers the program. As another example, implementationsmay issue subscriptions to the program for different periods or usingother models; for example, implementations may offer one or more ofmonthly subscriptions, bi-annual subscriptions, annual subscriptions,and lifetime memberships. Some implementations may offer variouscombinations, such as monthly subscription for the first year, and thenannual subscription thereafter. Some implementations may offer tieredsubscriptions, wherein customers may opt to subscribe for differentperiods for different fees; for example, an enterprise may offer onemonth, six month, annual, and lifetime memberships or subscriptions tothe shipping program for different subscription fees. In general,various implementations may offer subscriptions or memberships in theprogram of any arbitrary duration and not strictly of regular durations.Also note that embodiments may offer other benefits to thesubscriber(s), for example exclusive and/or first access to specialitems or special offers, and/or special “fast track” handling of thesubscribed customer's orders.

While embodiments of the method and apparatus for providing asubscription-based shipping program are described herein in reference tothe Web sites of e-commerce enterprises and for the subscription-basedshipping of items ordered through the Web sites of e-commerceenterprises, note that embodiments may be implemented using othermechanisms than those described herein, and/or in other types of productdistribution enterprises, to provide subscription-based shippingprograms. For example, a catalog-based product distributor that acceptsorders via mail may provide a Web site or other interface through whichcustomers may subscribe to a shipping program that provides reduced-rateor free shipping of items ordered from the catalog(s) via mail and/ore-mail. As another example, a Web-based product distributor (e.g., ane-commerce enterprise) may solicit and accept membership in asubscription-based shipping program via mail, or via e-mail, rather than(or in addition to) soliciting and accepting membership in thesubscription-based shipping program via the enterprise's Web site. Ingeneral, embodiments of a subscription-based shipping program asdescribed herein may be implemented by distributors, manufacturers,wholesalers, or in any relationship where there is the transportation ortransferal of goods or products between two parties or entities. Alsonote that, while embodiments are described in reference tosubscription-based shipping programs, the method and apparatus asdescribed herein may be applied to other types of subscription programsthan shipping programs.

Note that, while the term “order” is generally used herein in terms of acustomer purchasing an item from an e-commerce enterprise, an “order” asused herein may also refer to a rental, a lease, an exchange, or anyother transaction that might occasion a shipment of one or more items toor on behalf of subscribed customers to the shipping program.

Embodiments are generally described as soliciting and acceptingsubscriptions to a shipping program via a user interface provided by anE-commerce enterprise's Web site. Note that, in some embodiments,subscriptions to a shipping program may be solicited by and acceptedfrom other sources, such as other Web sites or other enterprises. In oneembodiment, subscriptions to the shipping program may be received fromother sources by the e-commerce enterprise's Web site via a Web servicesinterface to the Web site. Generally speaking, a Web services interfacemay be configured to provide a standard, cross-platform API forcommunication between a client requesting some service to be performedand the service provider. In some embodiments, a Web services interfacemay be configured to support the exchange of documents includinginformation describing the service request and response to that request.Such documents may be exchanged using standardized web protocols, suchas the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), for example, and may beformatted in a platform-independent data format, such as extensibleMarkup Language (XML), for example.

As an example, a financial or other institution that issues credit cardsmay offer a free subscription to the shipping program offered by ane-commerce enterprise as an incentive for customers to sign up for aparticular credit card. When a customer signs up for the credit card, arequest to sign the customer up to the subscription-based shippingprogram, including customer information necessary to subscribe thecustomer, may be forwarded to the e-commerce enterprise, for exampleusing the Web services interface of the e-commerce enterprise's Website. In this example, the institution that issued the credit card tothe customer may pay for the subscription to the shipping program, andthe credit card for which the customer signed up may be used as thedefault payment method for orders made by the customer under theshipping program through access of the e-commerce enterprise's Web site.

In one embodiment, the subscription-based shipping program may beintegrated with a “signature” credit card that may be issued by thee-commerce enterprise to qualified customers that apply for thesignature credit card. In one embodiment, a free or, alternatively,discounted subscription to the shipping program may be provided tocustomers that are issued the signature credit card. In one embodiment,for customers that obtain a signature credit card and that are providedwith a subscription to the shipping program with the credit card, thesignature credit card may be automatically used as the default paymentmethod for items ordered under the shipping program. In one embodiment,when a customer uses the signature credit card as the default paymentmethod for items ordered under the shipping program, the customer may begiven, additional discounts for shipping methods offered under theshipping program, and/or given access to services and offers providedonly to signature card holders that are subscribers to the shippingprogram. Alternatively, or in addition, customers already subscribed tothe shipping program may acquire the signature credit card and use it asthe default payment method for items ordered under the shipping programto obtain discounted shipping costs and/or other special services andoffers under the shipping program, and/or customers that already have asignature credit card but that are not subscribed to the shippingprogram may be given the opportunity to subscribe to the shippingprogram, possibly at reduced or no cost, to obtain discounted pricesand/or special services. Integrating the signature credit card with theshipping program, in particular offering a free or discountedsubscription to the shipping program with the card and offering specialpricing and/or services for the use of the signature card as the defaultpayment method, may encourage customers to acquire and use the signaturecredit card.

In one embodiment where the subscription-based shipping program isintegrated with a “signature” credit card, the subscribed customer mayselect an item and a shipping option under the program using asingle-action ordering mechanism, for example selecting a single-actionuser interface element on a Web page provided by the e-commerce Website. The single-action user interface element may indicate theparticular shipping option available under the shipping program, and maybe one of two or more single-action user interface elements, eachindicating a particular shipping option, displayed to the subscribedcustomer. In this embodiment, a single input by the subscribed customermay specify a particular item and a particular shipping option for theitem under the shipping program. In response to the single input (e.g.,selection of a single-action user interface element), an order for thespecified item may be programmatically generated according to thespecified shipping option, and the order charged to the signature creditcard of the customer.

In one embodiment, a subscription to the shipping program may only bevalid as long as the customer keeps the signature credit card. In thisembodiment, if the customer cancels the signature credit card, thesubscription to the shipping program may also be cancelled. As long asthe customer keeps the signature credit card and uses it as the defaultpayment method, then the customer keeps the subscription to the shippingprogram. This may act as an incentive for customers to keep and use thesignature credit card.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary systemconfiguration for implementing an embodiment of a subscription-basedshipping program at an e-commerce enterprise's Web site as describedherein. An e-commerce enterprise's Web site may be implemented on one ormore servers 160, one or more of which may be coupled to Internet 170.An exemplary system architecture that may be used for a server 160 isillustrated in FIG. 22. Servers 160 may include software and/or hardwarethat implements enterprise logic 166 through which the functionalitiesof the e-commerce enterprise may be supported, and through which itemsoffered by the e-commerce Web site may be ordered according toembodiments of the subscription-based shipping program as describedherein, or via other ordering methods. Enterprise logic 166 may includesoftware and/or hardware that implements subscription logic 168 thatprovides the functionalities of the subscription-based shipping programas described herein.

Servers 160 may be coupled to data storage 162 for storing informationin database 164 related to the Web site including, but not limited to,Web pages, data related to items offered by the Web site, and customerinformation. Data storage 162 may be implemented as one or more storagedevices configured independently or as a storage system. In general,data storage 162 may be implemented as one or more of any type ofstorage device and/or storage system suitable for storing data used bythe server systems of the Web site including, but not limited to:redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) devices, disk drives orarrays of disk drives such as Just a Bunch Of Disks (JBOD), (used torefer to disks that are not configured according to RAID), opticalstorage devices, tape drives, RAM disks, Storage Area Network (SAN),Network Access Storage (NAS), or combinations thereof.

Database 164 may be implemented as a single, monolithic database or as acombination of two or more databases and/or data stored in other,non-database formats, such as files stored in any of various fileformats. Database 164 may be or may include a relational database, ormay be or may include any other type of database, such as an objectoriented database, depending on implementation, or combinations thereof.In one embodiment, database 164 may include a customer databaseconfigured for storing information about customers that have accountsfor accessing the e-commerce Web site. In one embodiment, database 164may include a subscription database for storing information aboutcustomers that have subscribed to the shipping program and that haveaccepted invitations to share a subscription obtained by anothercustomer. In one embodiment, database 164 may include an invitationdatabase for storing information about customers that have been invitedto share another customer's subscription to the shipping program

One or more client systems 182 may be coupled to Internet 170. Eachclient system 182 may be configured to access the e-commerceenterprise's Web site using a Web client application, such as a Webbrowser, via Web client interface 184. One or more other servers 180 maybe coupled to Internet 170, such as servers that implement the Web sitesof other enterprises, institutions, individuals, etc., or even other Websites of the e-commerce enterprise. One or more of servers 180 may beconfigured to access enterprise logic 166 of servers 160 via a Webservices interface 186 provided by one or more of servers 180.

In one embodiment, a customer, using a client system 182 such as clientsystem 182A, may access the e-commerce enterprise's Web site implementedby enterprise logic 166 on servers 160, for example using a Web browser.The Web site may cause to display a Web page of the Web site on clientsystem 182A that may include one or more user interface elements forsubscribing to the shipping program. Information about the shippingprogram and/or one or more user interface elements for accessinginformation about the program may also be provided. If the customer isnot already subscribed to the shipping program, the customer mayinteract with the user interface element(s) to subscribe to the shippingprogram, if desired. In one embodiment, subscription to the shippingprogram may be accomplished via a single action by the customer, such asclicking on a “subscribe now” or other type of user interface element.In one embodiments, the customer may be subscribed to the program usingcustomer information, including, but not limited to, shipping address,billing address, and payment method information, that the customer haspreviously provided, for example in the process of setting up a useraccount with the e-commerce enterprise's Web site.

Other mechanisms for subscribing customers to the shipping program maybe provided in some embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, acustomer may subscribe to the shipping program via a different Web siteimplemented on one of servers 180, which may then inform enterpriselogic 166 of servers 160 of the subscription, for example via Webservices interface 186. As another example, some other enterprise mayoffer free or discounted subscriptions to the shipping program as anincentive to customers for signing up to some other program or serviceoffered by the other enterprise, such as a credit card. The otherenterprise may inform enterprise logic 166 of subscriptions issued toits customers, for example via Web services interface 186. As yetanother example, the e-commerce enterprise may automatically subscribecertain customers that qualify under one or more criteria to theshipping program, for example customers that spend over a certain amountpurchasing items from the e-commerce enterprise's Web site over aperiod. In some embodiments, a customer may apply for a subscription viamail, e-mail, telephone, or some other method of communication. In theseembodiments, subscription applications communicated to the e-commerceenterprise may be manually and/or automatically provided to enterpriselogic 166 of servers 160. Note that, in one embodiment, customers may berequired to already have, or to set up if they do not already have, auser account on the e-commerce Web site to receive and/or to use asubscription to the shipping program.

Upon receiving a subscription request submitted using any of the abovemethods, the subscription request may be processed by enterprise logic166 of servers 160. In one embodiment, enterprise logic 166 may examinethe subscription request to determine if the customer is qualified forthe shipping program. For example, if the customer does not have a useraccount with the e-commerce Web site (determined by accessing database164), the customer may be required to set up a user account before thesubscription will be approved. Alternatively, a user account for thecustomer may be automatically created if the customer does not have one.As another example, a payment method for the subscription provided bythe customer, for example a credit card number, may be checked to see ifthe submitted payment method is valid. If, for example, the customersubmits a credit card number for a card that has expired or isoverdrawn, the subscription request may be denied or, alternatively, thecustomer may be asked to submit an alternative payment method. Otherembodiments may examine other customer information when validating asubscription request. For example, in one embodiment, customers may bepermitted to have, or to share in, only one subscription to the shippingprogram. In this embodiment, if subscription information in database 164is checked and it is determined that the applying customer is alreadylisted as being a subscriber to the shipping program, then thesubscription request may be denied.

Once a subscription request has been processed and approved, enterpriselogic 166 of servers 160 may add the customer as a subscriber in asubscriber database in database 164. During accesses by customers of thee-commerce Web site, the subscriber database may be checked to see ifthe customer is a subscriber to the shipping program and, if so, thenthe e-commerce Web site may perform actions specific to subscribedcustomers, such as displaying shipping program-specific user interfaceelements, for example single-action interface elements for selectingshipping options available to subscribers of the shipping program, onitem detail pages and/or other Web pages of the Web site. In oneembodiment, a customer may have to be logged on to the customer's useraccount for which the subscription was issued for the customer to bedetected as a subscriber to the shipping program. Another example ofsuch action based on subscriber information in the subscriber databaseis to not display user interface elements for subscribing to theshipping program on Web pages accessed by customers that are alreadysubscribed.

In one embodiment, a subscribed customer may invite other customers toshare the subscription to the shipping program. In one embodiment, theWeb site may provide one or more user interface elements on one or moreWeb pages to subscribed customers that allow the subscribed customer tosubmit invitations to other customers. In one embodiment, a Web page maybe provided on which the subscribed customer may enter information aboutanother customer to be invited (which may include one or more of, but isnot limited to, the other customer's name, e-mail address, andrelationship to the subscribed customer), and a user interface elementfor submitting the invitation. In one embodiment, the subscribedcustomer may also be asked to provide information for authenticating theinvited customer, for example the birth date of the subscribed customer(if not already available in database 164) and the birth date of theinvited customer. Other embodiments may provide other mechanisms forsubmitting an invitation to share a subscription, for example viae-mail. In one embodiment, subscriptions may only be shared with certainother qualified customers, for example other members of the subscriber'shousehold.

In one embodiment, when a subscribed customer submits an invitation toanother customer, the other customer may be added to an “invitations”database in database 164 that is configured to store information oncustomers that have been invited to share subscriptions to the shippingprogram. A notification or notifications of the invitation to share thesubscription may be provided to the other customer. For example, ane-mail message informing the other customer of the invitation may besent. As another example, the customer may be notified of the invitationthe next time the customer signs on to the customer's user account onthe Web site. Other methods of notifying customers that they have beeninvited to share as subscription to the shipping program may be used,for example via mail or telephone.

In one embodiment, the notification of the invitation sent to the othercustomer may include a link to a Web page on which the invited customermay accept (or reject) the invitation, and/or information on how toaccept the invitation, for example by responding to an e-mail message orresponding to a mailed notification. In one embodiment, the invitedcustomer may be asked to provide information to authenticate thecustomer, for example the invited customer's birth date and the birthdate of the subscribed customer that invited the customer to share thesubscription. Once an invited customer has accepted an invitation toshare a subscription, the invited customer may be added to thesubscription database in database 164.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing asubscription-based shipping program to customers of an e-commerce Website according to one embodiment. As indicated at 200, an e-commerce Website may receive subscription(s) to the shipping program from customers.These subscriptions may be received from customers accessing the Website via a Web client interface as described in FIG. 3, from otherservers on the Internet via a Web services interface as described inFIG. 3, or from some other source. If a subscription is accepted, theassociated customer may be added to a subscription database of the Website.

Accesses of the Web site by customers may be processed, as indicated at202, to determine if the customers are subscribers to the shippingprogram. In one embodiment, when a customer accesses a Web page of theWeb site, software on the server(s) may check to see if the customer isa subscriber by accessing the subscriber database. At 204, if it isdetermined that the customer is not a subscribed customer, then the Website may not display at least some user interface elements specific tothe shipping program on Web pages accessed by the non-subscribedcustomer, as indicated at 206. Note that some user interface elementsrelated to the shipping program, such as user interface elements forsubscribing to the shipping program, may be displayed on one or more Webpages to non-subscribed customers. At 204, if it is determined that thecustomer is a subscribed customer, then the Web site may display userinterface elements specific to the shipping program and not displayed tonon-subscribed customers on one or more Web pages accessed by thesubscribed customer, such as one or more shipping option user interfaceelements on, for example, item detail pages accessed by the subscribedcustomer. In one embodiment, these shipping option user interfaceelements may be single-action user interface elements through which anassociated item may be ordered according to the selected shipping optionthrough a single action from the user (selecting a particular shippingoption user interface element). In one embodiment, the Web site may notdisplay one or more user interface elements related to the shippingprogram on Web pages accessed by a subscribed customer, such as userinterface elements for subscribing to the shipping program.

As indicated at 210, the Web site may receive a selection of one of theone or more shipping option user interface elements for an item from asubscribed customer accessing a Web page of the Web site, for example anitem detail page. As indicated at 212, the Web site may initiate andprocess an order of the item for the subscribed customer according tothe selected shipping option in response to the selection of theshipping option on the Web page. As mentioned above, in one embodiment,the shipping option user interface elements may be single-actionshipping option user interface elements. In this embodiment, in responseto the single-action selection of the shipping option, the paymentmethod of the subscribed customer may be automatically billed for theitem and for shipping charges of the shipping option, if any, and theorder processed to ship the item to the subscribed customer at ashipping address associated with the customer's subscription accordingto the selected shipping option. Note that, in some embodiments,selecting a shipping option user interface element may requireadditional action on the part of the customer to subscribe to theshipping program. For example, in one embodiment, selecting a shippingoption user interface element may take the customer to another Web pagethrough which the customer may subscribe to the shipping program byinteracting with one or more additional user interface elementsdisplayed on the Web page.

Note that, in some embodiments, other mechanisms for selecting shippingoptions available to subscribers of the shipping program than themechanisms described above may be provided.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of subscribing customers toa shipping program via a single action by the customer according to oneembodiment. As indicated at 220, the Web site may display a userinterface element on a Web page or Web pages of the Web site whenaccessed by customers, such as a “subscribe now” button, to subscribe toshipping program via a single action (e.g., selecting the user interfaceelement). The Web site may receive a customer selection of thesingle-action user interface element, as indicated at 222. The customermay then be automatically subscribed to the shipping program usinginformation about the customer already available to the Web site, forexample user information provided by the customer when setting up a useraccount with the Web site and stored in a customer database. Asindicated at 224, the subscribed customer may be added to a subscriberdatabase that stores information on customers subscribed to the shippingprogram.

Note that, if the Web site does not have enough information on thecustomer to issue a subscription to the customer, then the customer maybe requested to enter at least some information to apply for asubscription. Also note that, if the customer is not logged into a useraccount on the Web site, the customer may be required to log in beforethe single-action subscription is available. In one embodiment, if thecustomer does not have a user account with the Web site, the customermay be required to set up a user account before a subscription can bepurchased. Alternatively, subscribing to the shipping program mayautomatically create a user account for the customer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of accepting subscriptionsto a shipping program received via a Web services interface according toone embodiment. In this embodiment, other servers may provide mechanismsfor customers to subscribe to the subscription-based shipping programoffered by the e-commerce enterprise. For example, a financialinstitution may offer to provide free subscriptions to the shippingprogram of the e-commerce enterprise for customers that sign up for, andare issued, a credit card. As indicated at 230, the e-commerce Web sitemay receive a customer subscription from another server via a Webservices interface to the e-commerce Web site. As indicated at 232, thecustomer may then be added to a subscriber database that storesinformation on customers subscribed to the shipping program in responseto the receipt of the customer subscription.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing invitations toa subscription to a shipping program according to one embodiment. Asindicated at 240, the e-commerce Web site may receive invitationinformation from a subscribed customer, for example via a Web page onthe Web site, that describes another customer with whom the subscribedcustomer desires to share the subscription As indicated at 242, the Website may add the invited customer to an invitation database that storesinformation on customers that have been invited to share subscriptionsto the shipping program. The Web site may then send a notification ofthe invitation to the invited customer using one of the methodsdescribed elsewhere herein, as indicated at 244. The Web site may thenreceive and process a response to the invitation from the invitedcustomer, for example on a Web page provided by the Web site to theinvited customer, as indicated at 246. As indicated at 248, if theinvited customer accepts the invitation, the invited customer may beadded to a subscriber database that stores information on customerssubscribed to the shipping program in response to the receipt of thecustomer subscription.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing ordersreceived via a Web services interface according to one embodiment. Inthis embodiment, items offered for sale by the e-commerce Web site maybe ordered via other mechanisms than the e-commerce Web site, forexample via other Web sites associated with the e-commerce enterprise orwith other enterprises. As indicated at 250, the e-commerce Web site mayreceive a customer order for one or more items via a Web servicesinterface, such as the Web services interface described in FIG. 3. TheWeb site may then check the subscriber database, using customerinformation received in the customer order from the Web servicesinterface, to determine if the customer that submitted the order is asubscribed customer. At 252, if the customer is not a subscribedcustomer, then the order may be processed as an order from anon-subscribed customer, as indicated at 254. If the customer is asubscribed customer, then the Web site may process the order for theitem(s) specified in the-customer order received through the Webservices interface for the subscribed customer according to a shippingoption of the subscription-based shipping program. The desired shippingoption may be specified in the order information received through theWeb services interface or, if no shipping option is specified, a defaultshipping option may be used.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a customer accessingand using the subscription-based shipping program according to oneembodiment. As indicated at 260, a customer of the e-commerce enterprisesubscribes to the subscription-based shipping program via theenterprise's e-commerce Web site. In one embodiment, the customer maypay a fixed fee for the membership. By subscribing and paying the fee,the customer is provided with reduced and/or free shipping for one ormore shipping options (e.g. next-day shipping, 2-day shipping, etc) forthe duration of the subscription.

In some embodiments, rather than having one fixed subscription fee, atiered subscription system may be implemented, at which different tiersor levels of service are offered to the subscribing customer fordifferent subscription fees. For example, one embodiment may offertiered subscription fees bases on the expected number of items thecustomer will order over the period of the subscription. In thisembodiment, for example, the subscribed customer may be eligible to takeadvantage of reduced or free shipping for items ordered under theprogram for 1 to 20 items at a fee of $20; 21 to 40 items at a fee of$30, 41 to 60 items at a fee of $50, and an unlimited number of itemsfor a fee of $70. Shipping costs for items over the limit at the levelthe customer has paid for may be charged to the customer. As anotherexample of a tiered subscription, a subscribing customer may subscribeto the program for different periods at different fees, for example sixmonths for a fee of $50 or one year for a fee of $75. As yet anotherexample of a tiered subscription, a subscribing customer may subscribeto the program at one of two or more levels of service, where one levelis a “basic service” level that offers free or reduced shipping of atleast some items for the period of the subscription, with one or morehigher levels that offer additional services and/or further shippingdiscounts to the subscribing customer for higher subscription fees. Forexample, the basic service level may provide free 2-day shipping and $4next-day shipping; a second level may provide free 2-day and next-dayshipping, and a third level may provide free 2-day shipping, next-dayshipping, and same-day shipping. Alternatively, certain items may beexcluded from the program at the basic level, while a higher-levelsubscription offered for a higher fee may provide free shipping on allitems offered by the product distributor. As another example,subscribers to higher levels may be offered special offers or servicesnot provided to subscribers at the basic level, such as expeditedhandling of orders. Another example of a tiered subscription is aprogram that offers “residential” and “commercial” subscriptions, wherea residential subscription allows the primary subscriber to share thesubscription with some number of household members, for example four,while the commercial subscription, for a higher subscription fee, allowsthe primary subscriber to share the subscription with some larger numberof employees of a business, condominium, apartment complex, etc.

As indicated at 262, the primary subscriber (the customer who paid forthe subscription) may be provided the option to share the subscriptionwith one or more other customers, for example one or more otherresidents of the primary subscriber's household, as indicated at 264.Customers with which the subscription is shared may be referred to assecondary subscribers. In one embodiment, the primary customer, uponselecting an option on the Web site's user interface to share thesubscription, may be presented with a Web interface that allows theprimary customer to send an invitation to a specified customer. In oneembodiment, this invitation may be e-mailed to the invited customer. Theinvited customer may then access the Web site, or alternatively respondto the e-mail, to accept the invitation, or alternatively may ignore orreject the invitation. In another embodiment, rather than inviting othercustomers and having the invited customers accept or reject theinvitation via the Web site or e-mail, the primary customer may be giventhe option to directly add one or more other customers to thesubscription. These customers may then be automatically notified, forexample by e-mail, that they have been added to the subscription.

In one embodiment, sharing a membership with other customers, such asother residents of the primary subscriber's household, may be based onan honor system. In one embodiment, the primary subscriber may inviteanother person in the household to participate. The invited person mayreceive an e-mail message from the e-commerce enterprise, and uponapplication to the program on the e-commerce enterprise's Web site, maybe asked to supply their own birth date and the birth date of theprimary subscriber (both of which may have been previously provided bythe primary subscriber) for authentication purposes. If the birth datesprovided by the invited customer match those provided by the primarysubscriber, the invited customer is allowed to join the subscription. Inother embodiments, other personal information may be used instead of orin addition to birth dates to verify invited customers. Allowing primarysubscribers to invite other customers (e.g., other household residents)and requiring the primary subscriber to submit personal information forhim or herself and for the invited customers, such as birthdays, forauthentication, the enterprise may be able to maintain personalizationof individual accounts and to obtain additional personal information forthe primary and secondary subscribers. This personal information may beused, for example, in extending special, possibly personalized offers orservices to the subscribers. In one embodiment, the e-commerceenterprise may audit subscribers, for example by checking on billingaddresses, and may revoke the subscription and/or take other appropriateaction in the event of subscriber misconduct, for example if arestriction is violated by inviting non-household members to join asubscription.

As indicated at 266, a subscribed customer (either the primarysubscriber or a secondary subscriber) may select one or more items fororder eligible under the shipping program from one or more pages of thee-commerce Web site. In one embodiment, one or more user interfaceelements specific to customers subscribed to the shipping program may bepresented on the Web pages from which the items may be ordered, whichmay be referred to as item detail pages. User interface elements mayinclude control elements, such as buttons, menus, text entry boxes,tabs, links to other Web pages, etc., that the user may interact withvia input devices such as keyboards and cursor control devices to enterinformation, select from two or more options, and/or initiate associatedactions indicated by the control elements on the Web page/Web site. Userinterface elements may also include indicator elements such as text,scrolling text boxes, images, banners, and other user interface elementsconfigured to display information to the user graphically and/ortextually. In one embodiment, these user interface elements may-begrouped together in an area or “stripe” specific to subscribers on theWeb page(s). These user interface elements may tell the subscriber howtheir subscription may apply to whatever they may wish to do on theparticular Web page being viewed, and may allow the subscriber to invokethe options available via the subscription for that particular Web page;different Web pages may display different sets of user interfaceelements specific to the subscription-based shipping program. In oneembodiment, these user interface elements are only presented tosubscribed customers; non-subscribed customers are not presented withthe user interface elements specific to subscribers of the shippingprogram when accessing the Web pages of the e-commerce Web site. Theseuser interface elements may include one or more user interface elements(e.g., buttons or menus) for selecting from one or more shipping optionsoffered under the subscription-based shipping program. Note that the Webpage may also include one or more other user interface elements that mayinclude other shipping options that are not part of the shippingprogram.

As indicated at 268, the subscriber may select one of the one or moreshipping options available under the shipping program for each item thatthe subscriber chooses to order, or alternatively some other shippingoption if the subscriber chooses not to use one of the program'sshipping options. After the subscriber completes the ordering of theitem(s) from the e-commerce Web site, the selected item(s) may beshipped to subscribed customer according to the selected shippingoption(s), as indicated at 270. Note that different items that thesubscriber ordered may be shipped to the subscriber according todifferent shipping options selected by the subscriber. Also note thattwo or more items for which the same shipping option was selected may becollectively shipped to the customer in one shipment.

In one embodiment, shipping options offered by the program for ordereditems may be “ship the items as soon as possible” rather than “ship allordered items together.” In this embodiment, under thesubscription-based shipping program, there may be no reason for asubscriber to wait to have an item shipped; single items may be shippedunder the program to get to the subscriber as soon as possible.

In one embodiment, a primary subscriber may be required to agree to theconsolidated fulfillment of the subscriber's orders (and possibly theorders of secondary subscribers as well), or alternatively mayoptionally select the consolidated fulfillment of the subscriber'sorders. In this embodiment, subscribers' orders are consolidated atfulfillment time across many orders over a period (e.g., one or twoweeks) rather than “consolidating” at order time as is done in the “shipthe items as soon as possible” model. Consolidation of orders, or “shipall ordered items together”, may save on shipping charges as it mayallow the product distributor to ship as many items in the same packageor same shipment as possible, so it may be cost-effective to require thesubscriber to use this option or to provide the subscriber with theoption to have multiple ordered items consolidated and shipped together.In this embodiment, the order fulfillment center(s) of the productdistributor may be configured to ship items from multiple orders to oneshipping address in a single shipment. Items ordered by a primarysubscriber and/or secondary subscribers under the program may beconsolidated and shipped to the subscription's primary shipping address,or alternatively to another shipping address, periodically oraperiodically, for example once a week, once every two weeks, everyFriday, every other Monday, twice a month, when a certain number or costof items have been ordered, etc., as specified by the program or,alternatively, as options offered by the program. In one embodiment, asubscriber may be allowed to order items over time and select when theitems are to be shipped and/or delivered, rather than having periodic,scheduled shipment of orders or having the items shipped when ordered.For example, the subscriber may be allowed to order items and thenselect “Go ahead and ship all items”, or to specify a date that isconvenient for the customer on which the ordered item or collection ofconsolidated, ordered items are to arrive at the subscriber's shippingaddress. In one embodiment that requires consolidation, a subscriber maybe given the option to override the scheduled shipping of consolidateditems for one or more ordered items to have the particular ordered itemsshipped as soon as possible. An additional fee may be charged to thesubscriber for using this option.

Customers may be used to items being shipped when ordered. Ifconsolidating and shipping periodically, or “ship all ordered itemstogether” is required, this information (that items may not be shippedwhen ordered, and instead will be consolidated and periodically shippedto the subscriber) may be clearly communicated to the subscriber toinsure that that they understand and are satisfied with the conditionfor subscription in the shipping program. As noted above, in oneembodiment, consolidation may be offered as an option to “ship the itemsas soon as possible”. In one embodiment, a tiered subscription schedulemay be provided where the subscriber may be able to pay a higher fee tonot consolidate orders (i.e., “ship the items as soon as possible”), anda lower fee that requires consolidation of orders. Some customers mayvalue time over money, and thus may opt to pay a higher fee to havetheir items shipped as soon as possible.

To summarize, in various embodiments, either “ship the items as soon aspossible” or “ship all ordered items together” (consolidation) may bethe required shipping method, or “ship the items as soon as possible”may be offered as the default while “ship all ordered items together”may be offered as an option, or vice versa. In addition, various periodsand other options may be offered for the “ship all ordered itemstogether” shipping method.

In one embodiment, a subscribing customer may be required, oralternatively may optionally select, to have the customer's ordersshipped on specified, periodic shipping dates. In this embodiment, theproduct distributor may ship orders to a subscribed customer (which mayeither be required by the subscription-based shipping program or offeredas an option to the customer by the program) on scheduled, periodicshipping dates, for example once per week, once a month, twice permonth, every other Friday, etc. In one embodiment, the subscriber may beable to override the shipping options offered through the program andselect other shipping options, such as same-day shipping, for which thesubscriber may be billed at normal (or possibly reduced) shipping ratesor rates according to other special offers or programs.

Note that the shipping options provided by the subscription-basedshipping program may not be available for all items offered by thee-commerce enterprise's Web site; for example, large and/or heavy itemsmay be excluded from the program. The subscriber may be billed forshipping for these non-eligible items. Items may be excluded from theprogram for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to: size,weight, special shipping requirements, price, etc. In one embodiment,non-eligible items are indicated as such on the item detail pagesassociated with the items; eligible items may also be so indicated. Forexample, an item detail page for a non-eligible item may indicate to thecustomer that “This item is not eligible under the subscription-basedshipping program”, and the user interface elements for selecting ashipping option under the program may not be displayed or,alternatively, may be displayed but disabled. An item detail page for aneligible item under the program may indicate to the customer that “Thisitem is eligible under the subscription-based shipping program; the userinterface elements for selecting a shipping option under-the program maybe displayed and enabled. In one embodiment, additional information asto why an item is ineligible may be provided to the user, either bydirect display on the item detail page or alternatively through a linkto another Web page.

Note that 262 through 270 of the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 9 areiterative, and may be repeated by the subscriber, or performed indifferent orders, during the duration of the subscription. For example,the primary subscriber may elect at any time during the subscription toshare the subscription with another customer. Also note that, in oneembodiment, the primary subscriber may be given the option to removesecondary customers at any time, and/or to cancel invitations to sharethe membership previously extended to customers.

Some embodiments may offer or provide additional benefits to subscribersof the subscription-based shipping program not offered to non-subscribedcustomers. Subscribers may be given exclusive or first access to certainproducts or services. For example, subscribers may be given theopportunity to purchase autographed copies of books, first editions, orother special-edition or special offer products that are not offered orsold to the general public (i.e., non-subscribed customers of thee-commerce enterprise) or before the items are offered to non-subscribedcustomers. As another example, items ordered by the subscriber may be“flagged” and given special handling during order fulfillment.Subscribers' orders may be moved to the head of the queue of ordersplaced by non-subscribed customers. Orders placed by subscribers may beprocessed and fulfilled at a higher priority than orders placed bynon-subscribed customers; the picking, value-added processing, packingand shipping of orders placed by subscribers may be given higherpriority than non-subscribed customers. Other special services or offersthat may be provided to subscribed customers may include one or more of,but are not limited to: the ability to return purchased items at nocharge; free magazine subscriptions; free gift wrapping, engravingand/or other value-added services; access to premium digital content;preferred allocation of constrained items; pre-release access to certainitems; wireless service bonuses (e.g., free minutes, better rate plans,etc); discounts on higher-margin services such as warranties, or evenfree warranties; free order sweepstakes; premier customer sales; etc.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of a subscriber invitinganother customer to share a subscription in the subscription-basedshipping program according to one embodiment. As indicated at 280, asubscribed customer specifies another customer to be invited to sharethe subscription, for example another member of the subscribedcustomer's household. In one embodiment, the e-commerce Web site mayprovide an invitation user interface, for example a Web page such as theexemplary Web page illustrated in FIG. 14, through which a subscribedcustomer may invite other customers to share the subscription. Throughone or more user interface elements of the invitation user interface,the subscribed customer may be asked to provide information about theinvited customer. This information may include one or more of, but isnot limited to, the invited customer's name, relationship to thesubscribed customer, and e-mail address. As indicated at 282, thesubscribed customer may also be asked to provide information to be usedin authenticating the invited customer, for example the birth dates ofthe subscribed customer and the invited customer and/or at least aportion of the credit card number through which the subscription waspaid.

The invitation user interface may also include a user interface element,for example a button, through which the subscribed customer may submitthe invitation. Selecting this user interface element may cause anotification of the invitation to be sent to the invited customer, asindicated at 284. Note that selecting this user interface element maygenerate an error message if some of the information entered by thesubscribed customer via the invitation user interface is missing orincorrect. The subscribed customer may then enter the missinginformation and/or correct the information and resubmit the invitation.The notification may be sent via e-mail, may be provided to the invitedcustomer when the customer next logs in to the Web site, and/or may besent to the invited customer using some other mechanism. The invitationmay include some mechanism or mechanisms via which the invited user mayrespond to the invitation, for example a link to a Web page on which theinvited customer may accept (or, in some embodiments, accept or reject)the invitation. Alternatively, the invitation may be an e-mail message,and the invited customer may reply to the e-mail message to accept (or,in some embodiments, to accept or reject) the invitation.

As indicated at 286, if the invited customer responds to accept theinvitation, the responding customer may be authenticated using theauthentication information provided by the subscribed customer asindicated at 288. For example, the invited customer may be asked toprovide the birth date of the subscribed customer and the invitedcustomer's birth date to authenticate the invited customer. If theinvited customer does not respond to the invitation, then the customeris not added to the subscription, as indicated at 296. The invitationmay remain as an issued invitation that has not been responded to, andmechanisms may be provided through which the invited customer may lateraccept the invitation, and/or mechanisms through which an invitedcustomer may periodically or aperiodically be reminded of theoutstanding invitation.

As indicated at 290, if the authentication is successful, then theinvited customer may be added to the subscription as indicated at 292.As indicated at 294, once the invited customer is authenticated added tothe subscription, then user interface elements for shipping (or other)options provided by the subscription may be displayed on various Webpages of the e-commerce Web site, for example item detail pages, whenaccessed by the added customer. If the authentication is not successful(e.g., if the responding customer cannot provide the correctauthentication information), then the responding customer is not addedto the subscription, as indicated at 296.

While embodiments are generally described as subscriptions that may beextended to other members or residents of a household, note that othergroups of individuals than households may be allowed to sharesubscriptions. For example, businesses, business locations, apartmentcomplexes or condominiums, schools, or other entities may be allowed topurchase and share subscriptions among members of the entities or“communities”. In one embodiment, a tiered fee schedule may be providedfor different types of entities and/or for different numbers of membersexpected to share the membership. For example, a condominium complex maybe allowed to purchase a subscription to the shipping program and toinvite residents of the complex to share the membership if they sodesire. This allows the product distributor to ship orders to multiplemembers of the entity as a community. There may be a scheduled deliveryday, for example every Friday, and the orders may all be delivered toone shipping address, for example the office of the condominium complex,where the orders may be picked up by the subscribers. There may be manymembers of the community that participate as subscribers, but themembers each maintain their individual identity and accounts with theproduct distributor's e-commerce Web site, but share one subscription inthe shipping program. Allowing multiple members of a community tosubscribe while maintaining individual customer identity enables theproduct distributor to track the individual subscribers' ordering ofitems and personal information, as the subscribers still log in to ownaccounts but share the same subscription.

User Interface

Embodiments may provide a Web-based user interface including ane-commerce Web site or sites with at least some Web pages including userinterface elements such as menus, buttons, controls, tabs, etc., thatallow a customer to subscribe to the shipping program, access themembership options when ordering items from the enterprise's e-commerceWeb site to take advantage of the free or reduced-rate shipping providedby the program if available for the item, extend invitations to themembership to one or more other customers (e.g., members of thesubscriber's household), view and manage information about thesubscriber's membership in the program, invited customers, and invitedcustomers who have joined as secondary subscribers, and perform othertasks related to membership in the subscription-based shipping program.Exemplary Web pages and mechanisms for that may be provided to membersof the subscription-based shipping program through an e-commerceenterprise's software system are described below. An exemplary systemarchitecture for implementing the Web-based user interface and theunderlying mechanisms for managing and operating the subscription-basedshipping program is also described.

In one embodiment, to subscribe to the shipping program, a customer maysign in to the customer's account with the e-commerce Web site or createa new customer account, if not already registered. Creating an accountmay require the customer to enter various items of information, forexample the user name, credit card information, e-mail address, billingand shipping address, etc. The customer account may thus includeinformation that may be used in providing a subscription; for example,the user name, credit card information, billing and shipping address,etc. Optionally, this information may be requested or edited whensubscribing to program.

After the customer is logged in to the customer's account, one or moreWeb pages on the e-commerce Web site that the customer accesses mayprovide advertisements and/or information about the subscription-basedshipping program, and may also provide a user interface element orelements, for example a button, to allow the user to subscribe to theshipping program. Note that the information about and the option tosubscribe to the shipping program may be presented on various pages ofthe Web site before and/or after customer signs on to the customer'saccount. The signed-on customer may use this information and userinterface elements to navigate to a shipping program subscription page,or alternatively selecting a single user interface element mayautomatically subscribe the customer (possibly with verification, as thecustomer will be billed for the subscription). Subscription to theshipping program may use the default information from the customer'saccount, or the subscriber may optionally be allowed to edit theinformation (e.g., to change the credit card/billing information orshipping address) used in the subscription. The subscription may beconfirmed with the customer by e-mail notification or by some othermechanism.

Once a customer has subscribed to the shipping program, the customer'saccount is associated with the subscription by the e-commerceenterprise's software system for the duration of the subscription. Thesubscription may be automatically renewed, and the customer billedaccordingly, at the expiration of the subscription. Notification of therenewal of the subscription may be provided to the subscriber, who maybe given the option to decline the renewal. The customer may be giventhe option to not automatically re-subscribe to the shipping program ifthe customer so desires.

One embodiment may provide a subscription/account management Web pagethat may be accessed by the primary subscriber where the primarysubscriber may be allowed to perform various actions to manage variousaspects of the subscription to the program, such as offering invitationsto share the subscription to other customers. Some embodiments may allowthe primary subscriber to share the subscription to in the shippingprogram with one or more other customers, for example other members ofthe subscriber's household, who may be-referred to as secondarysubscribers. In these embodiments, the user interface of the e-commerceWeb site may provide one or more Web pages through which the primarysubscriber may share the membership in the program, at no additionalcharge or, alternatively, for an additional fee, with one or more othercustomers. In one embodiment, the user interface of the e-commerce Website may provide one or more Web pages or user interface elements on Webpages via which the primary subscriber may invite one or more othercustomers to share the membership. The invited customer may be notifiedof the invitation via e-mail, via the user interface of the Web sitewhen the customer logs on to his or her own account on the Web site,and/or by some other notification method. The invited customers may thenaccept the invitation to become secondary subscribers, reject theinvitation, or simply ignore the invitation. In one embodiment, theinvited customers may be required to be customers with accounts on theWeb site, or alternatively may be required to register and thus create apersonal account on the Web site, before the invitation is approved bythe e-commerce enterprise software system. Alternatively, the primarysubscriber may be allowed to directly add one or more customers to thesubscription without issuing an invitation.

In one embodiment, a subscriber (either the primary subscriber or asecondary subscriber) may access the shipping options provided by theprogram via a subscription-based shipping program user interface, whichmay be a user interface strip, stripe, bar, or some othersubscription-based shipping program user interface area or collection ofuser interface elements that may be displayed on each relevant Web page(e.g., item detail pages from which items associated with the pages maybe ordered) of the e-commerce enterprise's Web site. In one embodiment,the shipping program user interface will only be displayed tosubscribers that are logged on to their accounts; non-subscribers willnot be presented the shipping program user interface elements onaccessed Web pages, though advertisements for the subscription-basedshipping program and user interface elements through which the customersmay subscribe to the program may be displayed on an accessed Web page.

In the shipping program user interface, one or more buttons, menus, textboxes, or other user interface elements may be displayed that allow thesubscriber to select one of the one or more shipping options for theitem available to the subscriber through the program. From an itemdetail page, the subscriber may select one of these one or more userinterface elements each representing a shipping option under theshipping program and the item will be ordered for the subscriber andshipped to the subscriber according to the selected shipping option. Thesubscriber's previously specified billing address and credit card orother payment method information may be used as default information ingenerating the order for the item and in billing the subscriber. Apreviously specified shipping address for the subscriber may be used asthe default shipping destination for the ordered item. The subscribermay be given the option to modify any of this information if desired.

FIGS. 11 through 18 illustrate exemplary Web pages that may be providedby an e-commerce Web site to enable various functions and features ofthe subscription-based shipping program according to one embodiment.Note that, in some embodiments, other Web pages than the exemplary Webpages illustrated in these Figures may be provided by the e-commerce Website that include one or more user interface elements related to thesubscription-based shipping program.

Note that, in the exemplary Web pages of FIGS. 11 through 18, thecustomer interface to the subscription-based shipping program is shownas a GUI that is suitable for screen display on a personal computer orother similar large-screen device. In some embodiments, implementationsof the subscription-based shipping program may be presented on anysuitable device, for example on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) orother handheld device, on a cell phone using audio prompts, etc, usingany of a variety of other presentation methods, screens, user interfaceelements, etc.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary Web page that displays an offer to jointhe subscription-based shipping program, according to one embodiment.This example is an item detail page, but note that similar offers tojoin the shipping program may be provided on one or more other Web pagesof the Web site, such as the “home” page. Website navigation 300 mayinclude one or more user interface elements, such as buttons, tabsmenus, etc., through which the customer may navigate to other pages onthe Web site and/or perform other functions, such as searches. Itemdetail area 360 may describe relevant graphical and/or textualinformation about the item associated with this item detail Web page,such as an item description, price, availability of the item, and otheritem information such as a picture of the item. User interface area 350may include one or more user interface elements for selecting standardoptions of the e-commerce Web site, such as an “Add to cart” button 352that allows the user to add the item shown on the Web page to acollection, or cart, of items that the user may purchase when doneselecting items. Area 350 may also include a user interface element 354,such as a pop-up menu or text box, through which the user may select ashipping address for the item, if ordered. This item 354 may default toa default shipping address of the current user's account. Note that theinformation in areas 350 and 360 may be displayed for all customers ofthe Web site, and not just to subscribers to the shipping program.

A banner, bar, button, or other user interface element or area 302 maydisplay an offer to subscribe to the subscription-based shippingprogram. This area 302 may be or may include a user-selectable userinterface element that, when selected, may take the customer to a Webpage, such as one of the exemplary Web pages illustrated in FIGS. 12Athrough 12C, on which the customer may subscribe to the shippingprogram. In this example, the underlined words “subscription-basedshipping program” may represent a user-selectable link to another Webpage on which the customer may subscribe to the shipping program.Alternatively, 302, or a portion of 302 such as the underlined words“subscription-based shipping program”, may be a single-action userinterface item that, when selected by the customer, may automaticallysubscribe the customer to the subscription-based shipping program, ifthe customer is qualified. In one embodiment, area 302 may include auser interface element that, when selected, displays more informationabout the shipping program.

Note that, in one embodiment, 302 may not be displayed to customers thatare known to be subscribers to the shipping program.

FIGS. 12A through 12C illustrate exemplary Web pages via which customersof the e-commerce Web site may subscribe to the subscription-basedshipping program according to one embodiment. In one embodiment,selecting 302 or a portion of 302 of the exemplary Web page illustratedin FIG. 11, or a similar user interface element on another Web page, maycause an appropriate one of these Web pages to be displayed. Aparticular one of the exemplary Web pages of FIGS. 12A through 12C maybe displayed depending on the status of the customer accessing the Webpage.

On the exemplary Web pages of FIGS. 12A through 12C, website navigation300 may include one or more user interface elements, such as buttons,tabs menus, etc., through which the customer may navigate to other pageson the Web site and/or perform other functions, such as searches.Shipping program description area 334 may display information describingthe shipping program, such as the benefits, cost, and terms of theshipping program, and may also display a user interface element that,when selected, causes more detailed information about the shippingprogram to be displayed, either on the same Web page or on another Webpage displayed to the customer. Sign-up area 304 may include a“subscribe” user interface element, such as button 306, the selection ofwhich may take the customer to another Web page on which the customermay subscribe to the shipping program or, alternatively, may be asingle-action user interface element, the selection of whichautomatically subscribes the customer to the shipping program with nofurther action required of the customer.

The exemplary Web page of FIG. 12A may be displayed for recognizedcustomers, for example customers that are currently logged on to a useraccount for the Web site, and/or for which a preferred or defaultpayment method is known. Sign-up area 304 may include information aboutthe customer, such as the customer's name and a preferred or defaultpayment method of the customer, such as a credit card, that the Web siteknows through its record of the customer in the customer database.Sign-up area 304 may also include a user interface element that thecustomer may select if the customer viewing the Web page is not thecustomer for which the information is displayed. Sign-up area 304 mayalso provide the option for the customer to edit the informationdisplayed about the customer, such as the payment method to be used forthe subscription, if the customer so desires.

The exemplary Web page of FIG. 12B may be displayed for recognizedcustomers, for example customers that are currently logged on to a useraccount for the Web site, for which, a preferred or default paymentmethod is not known. Sign-up area 304 may include information about thecustomer, such as the customer's name, but does not display a preferredor default payment method of the customer. Sign-up area 304 may alsoinclude a user interface element that the customer may select if thecustomer viewing the Web page is not the customer for which theinformation is displayed. Note that, from this Web page, to subscribe tothe shipping program, for example by selecting a “subscribe” userinterface element, such as button 306, the user may be required tospecify or select a payment method for the subscription.

The exemplary Web page of FIG. 12C may be displayed for unrecognizedcustomers, for example customers that are not currently logged on to auser account for the Web site. Sign-up area 304 may include a userinterface element or elements through which the customer may log intothe customer's user account on the Web site, if the customer has a useraccount. Alternatively, or in addition, sign-up area may include a userinterface element or elements through which the customer may open a useraccount to the Web site. Note that, from this Web page, to subscribe tothe shipping program, for example by selecting a “subscribe” userinterface element, such as button 306, the user may be required to opena user account with the Web site or, alternatively, subscribing to theshipping program may automatically generate a user account for thecustomer using information provided by the customer during thesubscription process.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary subscribermay view information about the subscription, including information oninvited customers that have not yet accepted the invitations andcustomers that have accepted previous invitations and thus currently aresecondary subscribers to the subscription, according to one embodiment.Website navigation 300 may include one or more user interface elements,such as buttons, tabs menus, etc., through which the subscriber maynavigate to other pages on the Web site and/or perform other functions,such as searches. Primary subscriber information 306 may displayrelevant information about the primary subscriber, such as thesubscriber's name, birth date, payment method, and subscription dates(i.e., the start and end dates for the current subscription). The userinterface may also include an indication as to when the subscription isscheduled to expire, and a button 310 or other user interface elementthat may allow the primary subscriber to opt not to have thesubscription automatically renewed on the expiration date.

Pending invitations 312 may display any customers that have been invitedto share the subscription but that have not yet accepted the invitation.Relevant information about an invited customer, such as the customer'sname, relationship to the primary subscriber, e-mail address, and birthdate, may be displayed. One or more user interface elements, such asbuttons, may be provided that allow the primary subscriber to manage thepending invitations. For example, a “reinvite” button 314 may allow theprimary subscriber to reinvite a previously invited customer. Selectingthis item may, for example, generate a new notification, such as ane-mail message, to the invited customer. An “edit” button 316 may allowthe primary subscriber to edit the information about the invitedcustomer, for example to change the e-mail address and/or birth date. A“remove” button 318 may allow the primary subscriber to remove theinvited customer. Selecting this item may generate a notification, suchas an e-mail message, to the invited customer that the invitation hasbeen withdrawn.

Accepted invitations 320 may display any customers that have acceptedinvitations to share the subscription, and are thus secondarysubscribers to the subscription. Relevant information about eachsecondary subscriber, such as the secondary subscriber's name,relationship to the primary subscriber, e-mail address, and birth date,may be displayed. One or more user interface elements, such as buttons,may be provided that allow the primary subscriber to manage thesecondary subscribers. For example, an “edit” button may allow theprimary subscriber to edit the information about the secondarysubscriber, for example to change the e-mail address and/orrelationship. A “remove” button may allow the primary subscriber toremove the secondary subscriber from the subscription. Selecting thisitem may generate a notification, such as an e-mail message, to thesecondary subscriber that the customer's subscription has been removedby the primary subscriber.

Note that the underlying e-commerce enterprise software system may trackand associate customer accounts, subscriptions, invited customers,primary subscribers, and secondary subscribers. In one embodiment, thesoftware system may include “collections” of customers that areassociated with a subscription. In one embodiment, user accountinformation used by the software system (e.g., a database) may includefields that may be used by the software system to record and track whichsubscriptions, if any, a user account is currently associated with, andwhat that association or associations are. This information may be usedto indicate which subscriptions, if any, the user is a primarysubscriber for; which subscriptions, if any, the user has been invitedto share; which subscriptions, if any, the user has accepted invitationsto and thus is a secondary subscriber to; which other users, if any, aprimary subscriber has invited to share a subscription; etc.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary subscribermay invite other customers to share the subscription to the shippingprogram according to one embodiment. Website navigation 300 may includeone or more user interface elements, such as buttons, tabs menus, etc.,through which the subscriber may navigate to other pages on the Web siteand/or perform other functions, such as searches. Primary subscriberinformation 306 may display relevant information about the primarysubscriber, such as the subscriber's name, payment method, andsubscription dates (i.e., the start and end dates for the currentsubscription). The user interface may also include an indication as towhen the subscription is scheduled to expire, and a button 310 or otheruser interface element that may allow the primary subscriber to opt notto have the subscription automatically renewed on the expiration date.

Invitation interface area 330 may include invitation informationincluding instructions on how to invite other customers to share themembership according to one embodiment. Invitation area 330 may alsoinclude one or more user interface elements, such as pop-up menus ortext boxes, that the subscriber may access to provide information abouta customer to be invited, such as the customer's name, e-mail address,relationship to the primary subscriber, and birth date, at least some ofwhich may be used to authenticate the customer (e.g., the invitedcustomer's birth date) if and when the customer decides to accept theinvitation, personal information (in this example, the primarysubscriber's birth date) which may be used in authenticating the invitedcustomer, and a user interface element, such as button 332, to issue theinvitation, once the required information has been filled in. Selecting“Invite” button 332 may generate an e-mail or other notification to theinvited customer. Once the invited customer receives the notification,the customer may respond to the notification to accept the invitation.In one embodiment, the customer may reply to the e-mail to confirm thatthe customer accepts the invitation, or to reject the invitation. Inanother embodiment, the e-mail notification or other notification mayinclude a link to a Web page on the e-commerce enterprise's Web site atwhich the invited customer may accept (or reject) the invitation.

Note that, in one embodiment, the user interface elements of theexemplary Web pages illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 may be combined inone Web page through which a subscriber may view information aboutinvited customers and customers that have accepted invitations to sharethe subscription and invite other customers (e.g., members of thesubscriber's household) to share the subscription. In this embodiment, aWeb page may be provided that includes, but is not limited to, pendinginvitations 312 and accepted invitations 320 of FIG. 13 and invitationinterface area 330 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary Web page through which an invitedcustomer may accept an invitation to share a subscription according toone embodiment. Website navigation 300 may include one or more userinterface elements, such as buttons, tabs menus, etc., through which thecustomer may navigate to other pages on the Web site and/or performother functions, such as searches. A shipping program description area334 may display information describing the shipping program, such as thebenefits, cost, and terms of the shipping program, and may also displaya user interface element that, when selected, causes more detailedinformation about the shipping program to be displayed, either on thesame Web page or on another Web page displayed to the customer. Shippingprogram description area 334 may also display a message informing thecustomer as to who invited the customer to share a subscription.

An invitation authentication and acceptance area 336 may include one ormore user interface elements for the invited customer to enter the birthdates of the primary subscriber and the invited customer, oralternatively other information such as the last four digits of theprimary subscriber's credit card, to be used to authenticate thecustomer. An “accept invitation” user interface element, such as abutton, may also be displayed. If the customer selects “acceptinvitation” and they have entered the correct authenticationinformation, then they may be added as a secondary subscriber to thesubscription. In adding the secondary subscriber, the invitation andsubscription collections may be updated. In one embodiment, thesecondary customer may then be directed to a shipping programsubscription main detail page (such as the exemplary Web pageillustrated in FIG. 13) for the subscription with which they are nowassociated (i.e. to which they are a secondary subscriber).

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary item detail Web page via which aprimary or secondary subscriber may view information about an item andorder (or pre-order, if the item is not yet available) the itemaccording to one or more shipping options offered by the shippingprogram, if desired, according to one embodiment. Website navigation 300may include one or more user interface elements, such as buttons, tabsmenus, etc., through which the subscriber may navigate to other pages onthe Web site and/or perform other functions, such as searches. Itemdetail area 360 may describe relevant graphical and/or textualinformation about the item associated with this item detail Web page,such as an item description, price, availability of the item, and otheritem information such as a picture of the item. User interface area 350may include one or more user interface elements for selecting standardoptions of the e-commerce Web site, such as an “Add to cart” button 352that allows the user to add the item shown on the Web page to acollection, or cart, of items that the user may purchase when doneselecting items. Area 350 may also include a user interface element 354,such as a pop-up menu or text box, through which the user may select ashipping address for the item, if ordered. This item 354 may default toa default shipping address of the current user's account. Note that theinformation in areas 350 and 360 may be displayed for all customers ofthe Web site, and not just to subscribers to the shipping program.

A bar or stripe 340 may be displayed that may include one or moreoptions available only to subscribers of the shipping program andspecific to this item detail Web page. This bar 340 may only bedisplayed to subscribers; non-subscribers may see a similar item detailWeb page without bar 340 or the options thereon. Bar 340 may displayinformation about the subscriber, such as the subscriber's name. Bar 340may also display one or more shipping option user interface elements forselecting from one or more shipping options available only tosubscribers to the shipping program if the item associated with the itemdetail Web page is eligible for shipping options under the program. Thisexample shows two shipping option user interface elements, buttonsShipping Option 342 and Shipping Option 344. For example, ShippingOption 342 may be “Free 2-day shipping” and Shipping Option 344 may be“Next-Day shipping for $4”. Other shipping options may be provided. Notethat embodiments may provide one, two, or more than two shipping optionsto subscribed customers. Also note that, in one embodiment, differentshipping options may be available for different items on different itemdetail Web pages. Bar 340 may also include a user interface element 346,such as a pop-up menu or text box, through which the user may select ashipping address for the item, if ordered using one of the shippingoptions displayed in bar 340. This item 346 may default to the defaultshipping address of the subscription.

In one embodiment, the one or more shipping option user interfaceelements for selecting one of one or more shipping options offered underthe shipping program may be single-action user interface elements. Inthis embodiment, if the subscriber selects one of the shipping optionuser interface elements in bar 340, the item associated with the itemdetail Web page may be automatically ordered for the subscriberaccording to the selecting shipping option of the shipping program andentered into the order system to be processed and shipped to theindicated shipping address without requiring any further action by thecustomer. In another embodiment, selecting one of the shipping optionuser interface elements in bar 340 may require the customer to performfurther actions to order the associated item.

Alternatively, the subscriber may choose to add the item to the cart byselecting an “add to cart” user interface element (e.g., button 352) ofarea 350. In one embodiment, the “add to cart” user interface elementmay be a single-action user interface element with which the customermay order the item without requiring any further action by the customer.In one embodiment, the subscriber may, after completion of selectingitems for the cart, go to another Web page for completing an order forall the items in the cart, at which the subscriber may be provided withthe opportunity, through the user interface of the Web page, to specifyor change shipping options under the shipping program for all selecteditems that are eligible under the program, and other shipping optionsfor any selected items in the cart that are excluded from the shippingprogram.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary item detail Web page via which aprimary or secondary subscriber may view information about an item andorder the item if desired, according to one embodiment. In thisexemplary item detail Web page, the item is excluded from the shippingprogram, and a message to that effect is displayed in bar 340. Bar 340may also include information and/or a link to another page thatdescribes in more detail why the item does not qualify for the shippingprogram. An item may be excluded from the shipping program for variousreasons, for example due to the weight, size, and/or price of the item,because the item is ordered through or shipped by another vendor,because the item has special shipping requirements, etc. Note that othermessages may be displayed in bar 340, such as messages indicating thatthe item associated with the page is out-of-print, out-of-stock or adiscontinued item, a special order item, etc.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary Web page via which a primary orsecondary subscriber may view information about items that have beenadded to a cart or collection of items, for example using interfaceelement 352 of the item detail Web pages of FIG. 16 or FIG. 17, whichthe customer may order, if desired, according to one embodiment. Websitenavigation 300 may include one or more user interface elements, such asbuttons, tabs menus, etc., through which the subscriber may navigate toother pages on the Web site and/or perform other functions, such assearches. “Shipping to” area 370 may display the subscriber's name andthe address the item(s) are to be shipped to, if ordered. A button orother interface element may allow the subscriber to change thisdisplayed information, if desired. Order summary area 380 may displaysummary information for the items in the order as they are currentlydisplayed on the page, such as total cost of the items, any relevanttaxes, shipping charges, discounts, and other relevant information aboutthe order. Payment method area 382 may display the current paymentmethod to be used to bill the customer, e.g. a Visa or other credit cardaccount. Area 382 may include a user interface element that allows thesubscriber to change the payment method, if desired. Billing addressarea 384 may display the current billing address for the subscriber (orsubscription); area 384 may include a user interface element that allowsthe subscriber to change the billing address, if desired.

Shipping options area 372 may display user interface elements that allowthe subscriber to choose a shipping speed (e.g. Standard Shipping,Two-Day Shipping, or Next-Day Shipping), and user interface elementsthat allow the subscriber to choose a shipping preference (e.g. “Groupmy items in as few shipments as possible” or “Ship my items as theybecome available”). These items may default to selections specified bythe shipping program. In this example, shipping speed is defaulted toTwo-Day Shipping, and shipping preference is defaulted to “Ship my itemsas they become available”. In other implementations, other options maybe provided, and/or other options may be selected as the default optionsaccording to the shipping program.

Item area 374 may display all items currently in this order. Informationabout each item may be displayed, such as a brief item description andwhether or not the item is eligible for the shipping options offered bythe subscription-based shipping program. In this example, item A is noteligible under the shipping program, but items B and C are eligible.Item area 374 may also display information indicating how many shipmentsthe items will be delivered in. In this example, the items will beshipped in two shipments, with item A in one shipment and items B and C(that are eligible under the shipping program) in another shipment. Thesubscriber may be given the option to specify the shipping speed andshipping method individually for each item or for all itemscollectively, possibly overriding the shipping options available underthe shipping program for eligible items, or alternatively items that areeligible under the shipping program may automatically be shipped at thespeed/method specified by the shipping program, and other itemsaccording to some other default or optional speed/method.

Exemplary System Architecture

FIGS. 19 through 21 illustrate an exemplary architecture forimplementing embodiments of a subscription-based shipping program on ane-commerce Web site of an electronic commerce enterprise as describedherein. Note that any specific references to software or hardwareproducts and methods, for example references to Oracle, are intended tobe exemplary and not limiting. Embodiments may be implemented usingother products and/or methods than those described.

FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary implementation architecture for asystem including a subscription-based shipping program on an e-commerceWeb site of an electronic commerce enterprise as described herein. Thisexemplary implementation included three architectural fleets orcomponents: a backend fleet 400, a subscription fleet 420, and afront-end fleet 440. A fleet, as used herein, is a collection of two ormore systems, servers, machines, and/or other devices, such as system900 illustrated in FIG. 22.

Embodiments may include implementation(s) of a collection service thatprovides underlying support for membership (subscription) sharing. Acollection service may provide generic collections of entitiesassociated with every subscription, for example a membership collection.A subscription may be associated with a membership collection thatrepresents its membership. In one embodiment, members of thecollection(s) may be the customer IDs of the customers that areparticipating in the subscription.

The collection service may model generic relationships among entities.Entities of a collection may all be related by some property. Theproperty may be derived from the name of the collection and the type ofthe collection. The property may be application-specific; the collectionservice may not know about it. The collection service only knows that ithas been given a name and type of collection that it captures. Thecollection service is given members of a collection, captures theidentity of the members, and stores that basic relationship. All derivedsemantics occur at a higher layer, or application layer. One of these isfor invitations (the invitation service). Invitation collections mayrepresent the groups of people that have been invited to participate insubscriptions. The invitation service may be an application of thegeneric collection service.

Once a customer subscribes to the shipping program, the subscription iscreated and the collection is initialized with the customer. The primarysubscriber (the owner of the subscription) is then able to invite othercustomers (e.g., members of the subscriber's household) to share thesubscription. An additional collection, an “Invitees” collection thatcontains customers that have been invited to join the subscription, maybe associated with the subscription. In addition, every customer mayhave a collection associated with their customer account that representsthe subscriptions the customer has been invited to join. Note that thecollections associated with customer accounts may be used to captureconnections between customers: invitations to subscriptions, customersthat participate together in subscriptions, etc. This information may bedata-mined to look for connections between customers.

Embodiments may include a database instance that stores the membershipinformation. This database instance may be an authoritative or primarystore for data, including membership information, used by the Web site.In one embodiment, this database may be a transactional database. In oneembodiment, this database may be a relational database, such as anOracle database. A caching store may be used for general operations ofthe Web site. High-traffic pages of the Web site, such as item detailpages may hit the caching store. There may be a propagation delay inupdating the caching store, so the caching store may not be 100%accurate, but may be sufficiently accurate for making decisions aboutwhich user interface elements are to be displayed on Web pages, etc.When customers need authoritative information because they are makingdecisions and/or spending money, for example when items selected by thecustomer are being ordered and are thus entering the order pipeline, theauthoritative store, which may be a transactional database, may be hitinstead of the caching store.

In one embodiment, caching client(s) may provide guaranteed datapropagation. In one embodiment, the authoritative store may betransactionally accurate. For Website purposes, in some display-only usecases (not in order pipeline, for instance), for example on item detailpages, the caching store of the data, which may be slightly stale, maybe accessed. The caching client(s) are the mechanism that propagatestransactional data out to the caching store(s). Using caching clients, aserver in a fleet may go down and, when brought back up, a replay ofmessages since the server went down may be performed to recover thecaching store to a current state. If a server goes down, then when theserver comes back up, the caching client provides the ability to replaythe messages from the last message seen.

Backend fleet 400 may be running one or more instances of a shippingprogram backend service 402 that may handle both synchronous andasynchronous requests through asynchronous and synchronous messagetransports. In one embodiment, publish/subscribe and BSF/HTTP may beused as message transports. This service 402 may have two primary users:

-   -   An order management system may communicate with backend service        402 to determine if an order is eligible for shipping under the        subscription-based shipping program. The backend service 402 may        consult the collection service 430 to see if the person who made        the offer is a member of any shipping program subscription.    -   The subscription service 424 may notify the backend service 402        when changes occur to a subscription. The backend service 402        may be responsible for interpreting the subscription changes and        updating the metadata of an associated collection.

Subscription fleet 420 may include, but is not limited to, asubscription deployment along with an invitation service 428 and acollection service 430. The latter two components may be unique in thatnone of the other subscription components may communicate directly tothem. Rather, these two components may be general components availableto users of the subscription feature to associate other customers with asubscription and to invite them to join a subscription. The invitationservice 428 may receive requests to invite customers to becomeassociated with a subscription. This association may be tracked using acollection. The collection service 430 may be used by users of thesubscription component to create collections of members to associatewith a subscription.

In website oriented fleet 440, each machine may include, but is notlimited to, instances of the following services:

-   -   A cache-only (read-only) collection service 446 used by Web        pages, for example item detail pages, in order to determine        whether subscription-based shipping program user interface        elements should be displayed on the page. The Web page may ask        for all collections for a member looking at the page to        determine if any of those collections are        subscription-associated collections and if they are active. In        one embodiment, this may be performed using a combination of the        collection type and metadata.    -   The shipping program front-end service 448 may be used by        subscription-based shipping program-specific web pages.        Collections with the Subscription-Based Shipping Program—Overall        Architecture

In implementations, there may be different configurations of thecollection service, which may include, but are not limited to:

-   -   A single collection service 430 may be deployed with two        underlying data sources—a JDBC (or other type of) data source        and a “propagate only” caching client 432 data source. The data        source may be the authoritative store 422 instance used by the        subscription service 424. Changes made to this underlying data        source may be made in conjunction with table inserts to ensure        eventual consistency between the authoritative data source        (authoritative store 422) and caches (caching client 432). This        collection service 430 may be contacted by backend service 402        and the invitation service 428.    -   The collection service 446 may be deployed to n-machines with        only the caching client 444 as a data source for collection        information. These instances of the collection service 446 may        be used by the item detail pages or any other Web page that        needs to answer the question “Is the customer a member of a        subscription to the shipping program?” The caching client 444        collection data source may receive propagation messages from the        first configuration and may support read only access.        Invitations Component

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary implementation architecture for the“invitations” component of a subscription-based shipping program on ane-commerce Web site of an electronic commerce enterprise as describedherein. Exemplary details of the user experience for signing up anothermember to be associated with a shipping program subscription, as well asexemplary implementation architecture for the invitations component, aredescribed.

After a customer subscribes to the shipping program (as the primarysubscriber), the subscriber may be directed to a shipping programsubscription main detail page, such as the Web page illustrated in FIG.13, which may display one or more of, but not limited to, the following:

-   -   When the customer signed up for the shipping program    -   Information about the shipping program in general (benefits,        terms, fees, restrictions, etc)    -   When the subscription expires    -   Information about extending the length of the subscription,        either manually or by setting up an automatic process    -   A list of customer accounts that the subscriber has associated        with this subscription (secondary subscribers)—the person who        originally signed up for the program (the primary subscriber)        may always be listed    -   A list of e-mail addresses (and possibly other information) of        customers that have been invited to share the subscription,        along with when they were invited.

In one embodiment, each customer account already associated with theshipping program subscription and thus displayed in the list of customeraccounts may have a ‘remove’ button or other user interface element nextto the customer information. An ‘invite family member’ button or otheruser interface element may be displayed, along with information aboutrestrictions related to who a customer may invite to share thesubscription.

In one embodiment, selecting the ‘remove’ button may take the primarysubscriber to a confirmation page with ‘ok’ or ‘cancel’ options. Thesubscriber may be told that the customer being removed will be notifiedvia e-mail.

In one embodiment, an ‘add’ button on the shipping program subscriptionmain detail page may take the user to a Web page, such as the Web pageillustrated in FIG. 13, including a user interface element for enteringan e-mail address, and possibly user interface elements for enteringother information about a customer to be invited, along with text whichsays something like “When the person responds to this e-mail they mustprovide the last four digits of the credit card (or, alternatively,other information such as birth dates) used to purchase this program.Please ensure that they have this information so that we canauthenticate them and associate them with this program.” The primarysubscriber may enter the requested information for the person to beinvited, and then click “send”. A page may then be displayed sayingsomething like “the invitation is being e-mailed to the e-mail account‘xxx’. Please insure that the recipient has the last four digits of thecredit card used to purchase this program (or, alternatively, otherinformation such as birth dates) for authentication purposes”.

In one embodiment, a customer who is invited to join the subscriptionmay receive an e-mail containing a URL that may be accessed to confirmthat they want to join the subscription. This URL may take them to asign-in page for the e-commerce Web site. In one embodiment, if thecustomer does not have a user account with the Web site, they may beable to sign up for an account through a link on this page. Aftersigning in, the invited customer may be directed to a Web page toconfirm whether they want to accept the invitation and join thesubscription. An exemplary Web page for accepting invitations isillustrated in FIG. 15. This page may include one or more user interfaceelements for the invited customer to enter in the last four digits ofthe primary subscriber's credit card, or alternatively other informationsuch as the birth dates of the primary subscriber and the invitedcustomer, to authenticate the customer. Information about the shippingprogram/subscription (e.g., stating that it is free, and describing thebenefits) along with “accept” and “reject” buttons may be displayed. Ifthe customer selects “accept” and they have entered the correctauthentication information, then they may be directed to a shippingprogram subscription main detail page, such as the exemplary pageillustrated in FIG. 13, for the subscription with which they are nowassociated (i.e. to which they are a secondary subscriber). Errors bythe customer may loop back to the confirmation page with an error detailmessage.

One embodiment may use a mechanism to verify or authenticate thatinvited customers are members of the household (or other entity) of theprimary subscriber to the shipping program that may require thoseinvited to join the subscription to provide specific personalinformation associated with the subscription/primary subscriber, suchas:

-   -   The e-mail address of the person that is initially associated        with the program (the primary subscriber)    -   The last four digits of the credit card used to pay for the        program    -   The zip code of the primary residence of the person that is        initially associated with the program (the primary subscriber)    -   The birth dates of the primary subscriber and of the invited        customer

Various embodiments may use one or more of these information items forverification/authentication, and/or other information may be used.

In one embodiment, a customer may not be prevented from being asubscriber to two or more subscriptions to the shipping program. If acustomer is subscribed to two or more subscriptions, one of thesubscriptions may be selected by the system when necessary. In oneembodiment, a subscription may be randomly but deterministicallyselected. In another embodiment, customers may be prevented fromsubscribing to multiple subscriptions.

In one embodiment, only one subscriber to a subscription may be theprimary subscriber. In another embodiment, more than one subscriber to aparticular subscription may be designated as a “primary subscriber”, andmay thus perform actions described herein for primary subscribers, suchas inviting other customers to share the subscription and deletingsecondary subscribers. In this embodiment, a mechanism may be providedto designate one or more secondary subscribers that have acceptedinvitations to share the subscription to become “primary subscribers.”In one embodiment, the primary subscriber may transfer the “primarysubscribership” to another subscriber. In another embodiment, theprimary subscriber may not be allowed to transfer the primarysubscribership. In one embodiment, the primary subscriber may be unableto remove themselves from the collection of subscribers associated witha subscription. In another embodiment, a primary subscriber may beallowed to remove themselves from the collection of subscribersassociated with a subscription.

Exemplary Implementation Architecture for the Invitations Component

In one embodiment, the invitation component is a general componentresponsible for tracking a set of invitations extended on behalf of anentity, the invitations that have been extended to an entity, andacceptance and rejection of invitations. Acceptance of an invitation mayautomatically manipulate a collection that is related to the invitation.

In one embodiment, the invitation implementation may not manage orretain ownership of the collection that the invitations are beingapplied towards. Reasons for separating out the invitation from themembership management may include, but are not limited to:

-   -   Invitations may not need to manipulate a collection when an        invitation is accepted. By separating this out, refactoring may        be possible to use this component to do invitations that have        results other than adding to a collection.    -   Group membership and manipulation may be exposed using the        collection service. Anything other than this basic API may        require application-specific logic that may not be embedded        within the invitation component.    -   While deploying and maintaining one service may be easier than        two, there may be cases where collections are used that        invitations are not used and, possibly, vice versa.    -   The expected load placed on these services may be different—the        collections may be hit O(orders) (i.e., for each order) while        the invitations may be hit O(customers in program) (i.e., each        time a customer is invited to join as a subscriber)        Shipping Program Front-end Service—Exemplary Overall        Architecture

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary implementation architecture for theshipping program front-end service 448 component of a subscription-basedshipping program on an e-commerce Web site of an electronic commerceenterprise as described herein. Front-end invitation API 480 may provideinterfaces to various functionalities of the shipping program front-endservice 448. Front-end invitation API 480 may, for example, provideinterfaces to invite a customer, accept/reject invitations, get shippingprogram information, remove a customer, etc. Shipping program front-endservice 448 may access the invitation service 428, collection service430, and subscription service 424. Subscription service 424 andcollection service 430 may access the authoritative store 422.

Exemplary System

In one embodiment, an e-commerce Web site of an electronic commerceenterprise that implements a subscription-based shipping program asdescribed herein in FIGS. 3 through 21 may include a general-purposecomputer system that includes or is configured to access one or morecomputer-accessible media, such as computer system 900 illustrated inFIG. 22. In the illustrated embodiment, computer system 900 includes oneor more processors 910 coupled to a system memory 920 via aninput/output (I/O) interface 930. Computer system 900 further includes anetwork interface 940 coupled to I/O interface 930.

In various embodiments, computer system 900 may be a uniprocessor systemincluding one processor 910, or a multiprocessor system includingseveral processors 910 (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitablenumber). Processors 910 may be any suitable processors capable ofexecuting instructions. For example, in various embodiments, processors910 may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementing any of avariety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as the x86,PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. Inmultiprocessor systems, each of processors 910 may commonly, but notnecessarily, implement the same ISA.

System memory 920 may be configured to store instructions and dataaccessible by processor(s) 910. In various embodiments, system memory920 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such asstatic random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM),nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. In theillustrated embodiment, program instructions and data implementingdesired functions, such as those methods and techniques described abovefor an e-commerce Web site of an electronic commerce enterprise thatimplements a subscription-based shipping program, are shown storedwithin system memory 920 as code 925.

In one embodiment, I/O interface 930 may be configured to coordinate I/Otraffic between processor 910, system memory 920, and any peripheraldevices in the device, including network interface 940 or otherperipheral interfaces. In some embodiments, I/O interface 930 mayperform any necessary protocol, timing or other data transformations toconvert data signals from one component (e.g., system memory 920) into aformat suitable for use by another component (e.g., processor 910). Insome embodiments, I/O interface 930 may include support for devicesattached through various types of peripheral buses, such as a variant ofthe Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus standard or theUniversal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example. In some embodiments,the function of I/O interface 930 may be split into two or more separatecomponents, such as a north bridge and a south bridge, for example.Also, in some embodiments some or all of the functionality of I/Ointerface 930, such as an interface to system memory 920, may beincorporated directly into processor 910.

Network interface 940 may be configured to allow data to be exchangedbetween computer system 900 and other devices attached to a network,such as other computer systems, for example. In particular, networkinterface 940 may be configured to allow communication between computersystem 900, other computer systems (if any) that are part of thee-commerce enterprise, other servers on the Internet, and computers usedby customers of the e-commerce Web site elsewhere on the Internet.Network interface 940 may commonly support one or more wirelessnetworking protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi/IEEE 802.11, or another wirelessnetworking standard). However, in various embodiments, network interface940 may support communication via any suitable wired or wireless generaldata networks, such as other types of Ethernet network, for example.Additionally, network interface 940 may support communication viatelecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networks ordigital fiber communications networks, via storage area networks such asFibre Channel SANs, or via any other suitable type of network and/orprotocol.

In some embodiments, system memory 920 may be one embodiment of acomputer-accessible medium configured to store program instructions anddata as described above. However, in other embodiments, programinstructions and/or data may be received, sent or stored upon differenttypes of computer-accessible media. Generally speaking, acomputer-accessible medium may include storage media or memory mediasuch as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD coupled tocomputer system 900 via I/O interface 930. A computer-accessible mediummay also include any volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g.SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, RDRAM, SRAM, etc.), ROM, etc, that may be included insome embodiments of computer system 900 as system memory 920 or anothertype of memory. Further, a computer-accessible medium may includetransmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, ordigital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a networkand/or a wireless link, such as may be implemented via network interface940.

Conclusion

Various embodiments may further include receiving, sending or storinginstructions and/or data implemented in accordance with the foregoingdescription upon a computer-accessible medium. Generally speaking, acomputer-accessible medium may include storage media or memory mediasuch as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD-ROM, volatile ornon-volatile media such as RAM (e.g. SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, etc.),ROM, etc. As well as transmission media or signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication mediumsuch as network and/or a wireless link.

The various methods as illustrated in the Figures and described hereinrepresent exemplary embodiments of methods. The methods may beimplemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. The orderof method may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered,combined, omitted, modified, etc.

Various modifications and changes may be made as would be obvious to aperson skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. It isintended that the invention embrace all such modifications and changesand, accordingly, the above description to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: an e-commerce siteimplemented on one or more computer devices receiving over a networkinput identifying a user; based on the input identifying the user,determining whether the user is a current subscriber to asubscription-based shipping program that provides a plurality ofsubscriber shipping options for each of at least some items offered onthe e-commerce site for the duration of a subscription, wherein theplurality of subscriber shipping options are provided only to users ofthe e-commerce site that are currently subscribed to thesubscription-based shipping program, and wherein the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options do not depend on a quantity of an itemordered; receiving over the network input specifying at least one ofsaid at least some items that the user wants to order; and in responseto determining that the user is a current subscriber to thesubscription-based shipping program, generating an order for thespecified at least one item directing the at least one item to beshipped to a location specified by the subscribed user according to oneof the plurality of subscriber shipping options instead of anon-subscriber shipping option; wherein at least one of the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options provides shipping for the at least someitems to the subscribed user for the duration of the subscription at noadditional cost to the subscribed user beyond an initial cost of thesubscription.
 2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,further comprising: receiving input from the user to access a userinterface configured for accepting user orders of the particular item;and in response to determining that the user is a current subscriber tothe subscription-based shipping program, displaying two or more shippingprogram user interface elements on the user interface, wherein the twoor more shipping program user interface elements are configured forselecting among the plurality of subscriber shipping options for theitem; and receiving input from the subscribed user selecting one of thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements to specify aparticular subscriber shipping option for the item.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein the shippingprogram user interface elements are displayed on said user interfaceonly to users subscribed to the shipping program.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein the two ormore shipping program user interface elements are single-action userinterface elements; wherein said receiving over the network inputspecifying at least one of said at least some items that the user wantsto order comprises said receiving input from the subscribed userselecting one of the two or more shipping program user interfaceelements; and wherein said generating an order for the specified atleast one item comprises automatically generating the order in responseto said receiving input from the subscribed user selecting one of thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements, and wherein noadditional input from the user is required to generate the order.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidreceiving over the network input specifying at least one of said atleast some items that the user wants to order comprises receiving amessage requesting an order of the at least one item for the subscribeduser on a web services interface of the e-commerce site.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprisingsubscribing the user to the subscription-based shipping program inresponse to receiving input over the network from the user accessing oneor more subscription user interface elements of the e-commerce site. 7.The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising automatically subscribing the user to the subscription-basedshipping program in response to receiving a single input over thenetwork from the user selecting a single-action user interface elementof the e-commerce site.
 8. The computer-implemented method as recited inclaim 1, further comprising subscribing the user to thesubscription-based shipping program in response to receiving asubscription request specifying the user via a web services interface ofthe e-commerce site.
 9. The computer-implemented method as recited inclaim 1, further comprising subscribing the user to thesubscription-based shipping program as an additional subscriber to anexisting subscription with one or more other current subscribers inresponse to receiving a response to an invitation to share the existingsubscription to the shipping program sent to the user by the e-commercesite, wherein each subscriber to the existing subscription has aseparate account via which the subscriber accesses the e-commerce site.10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising charging a subscription fee to the user upon subscribing theuser to the shipping program.
 11. The computer-implemented method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of subscriber shipping optionsincludes at least one shipping option for which subscribed users are notcharged for shipping for said at least some items.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pluralityof subscriber shipping options includes at least one shipping option forwhich subscribed users are charged at a lower rate for shipping thannon-subscribed users for said at least some items.
 13. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pluralityof subscriber shipping options includes at least one shipping option forwhich subscribed users are not charged for shipping for said at leastsome items and at least one shipping option for which subscribed usersare charged at a lower rate for shipping than non-subscribed users forsaid at least some items.
 14. The computer-implemented method as recitedin claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of subscriber shipping optionsis an option for one or more features not offered to non-subscribers.15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein theone or more features include at least one of: expedited handling, theability to return the purchased item at no charge, free gift wrapping,free engraving, or access to a digital copy of the item.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:displaying one or more subscription sharing user interface elements tothe subscribed user, wherein the subscription sharing user interfaceelements are configured for receiving input to share existingsubscriptions to the shipping program with other users of the e-commercesite; and receiving input from the subscribed user accessing the one ormore subscription sharing user interface elements to share thesubscription to the shipping program with a user of the e-commerce sitespecified by the subscribed user, wherein each user that shares thesubscription has a separate account via which the user accesses thee-commerce site.
 17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim16, wherein the subscription sharing is limited to a defined communityto which the subscribed user belongs.
 18. The computer-implementedmethod as recited in claim 17, wherein the defined community is one of:the subscribed user's household, a business, a residence complex, or aschool.
 19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,further comprising: displaying one or more subscription invitation userinterface elements to the subscribed user, wherein the subscriptioninvitation user interface elements are configured for receiving input togenerate invitations to share existing subscriptions to the shippingprogram with other users of the e-commerce site; receiving input fromthe subscribed user accessing the one or more subscription invitationuser interface elements to invite a user of the e-commerce sitespecified by the subscribed user to share the subscription to theshipping program; and in response to said input from the subscribed useraccessing the one or more subscription invitation user interfaceelements, the e-commerce site sending an invitation to the invited userto share the subscription to the shipping program.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 19, further comprisingreceiving input from the invited user to accept the invitation to sharethe subscription, wherein each user that shares the subscription has aseparate account via which the user accesses the e-commerce site. 21.The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein thesubscription-based shipping program includes two or more levels ofsubscription, wherein subscribed users at different levels are providedwith one or more different shipping options for different subscriptionfees at the two or more levels of subscription.
 22. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprisingdirecting each item ordered by the subscribed user according to one ofthe one or more subscriber shipping options to be shipped as soon as therespective item is available to be shipped.
 23. The computer-implementedmethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising directing two or moreitems separately ordered by the subscribed user according to one of theone or more subscriber shipping options to be consolidated and shippedin one shipment.
 24. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim1, further comprising directing items ordered by the subscribed useraccording to one of the one or more subscriber shipping options to beshipped at scheduled shipping times at periodic or aperiodic intervals.25. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising providing subscribed users of the shipping program exclusiveaccess to one or more services not offered to non-subscribed users ofthe e-commerce site.
 26. The computer-implemented method as recited inclaim 25, wherein the one or more services include one of: expeditedhandling, the ability to return the purchased item at no charge, freegift wrapping, free engraving, or access to a digital copy of the item.27. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidat least some items offered on the e-commerce site are offered to userssubscribed to the shipping program at the same price offered tonon-subscribed users.
 28. The computer-implemented method as recited inclaim 27, wherein shipping charges to the subscribed user for itemsshipped according to one of the plurality of subscriber shipping optionsare lower than shipping charges for respective shipping options havingthe same delivery terms provided to non-subscribed users.
 29. Acomputer-accessible storage medium comprising program instructions,wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:receiving over a network input identifying a user; based on the inputidentifying the user, determining whether the user is a currentsubscriber to a subscription-based shipping program that provides aplurality of subscriber shipping options for each of at least some itemsoffered on an e-commerce site for the duration of a subscription,wherein the plurality of subscriber shipping options are provided onlyto users of the e-commerce site that are currently subscribed to thesubscription-based shipping program, and wherein the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options do not depend on a quantity of an itemordered; receiving over the network input specifying at least one ofsaid at least some items that the user wants to order; and in responseto determining that the user is a current subscriber to thesubscription-based shipping program, generating an order for thespecified at least one item directing the at least one item to beshipped to a location specified by the subscribed user according to oneof the plurality of subscriber shipping options instead of anon-subscriber shipping option; wherein at least one of the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options provides shipping for the at least someitems to the subscribed user for the duration of the subscription at noadditional cost to the subscribed user beyond an initial cost of thesubscription.
 30. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited inclaim 29, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable tofurther implement: receiving input from the user to access a userinterface configured for accepting user orders of the particular item;and in response to determining that the user is a current subscriber tothe subscription-based shipping program, displaying two or more shippingprogram user interface elements on the user interface, wherein the twoor more shipping program user interface elements are configured forselecting among the plurality of subscriber shipping options for theitem; and receiving input from the subscribed user selecting one of thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements to specify aparticular subscriber shipping option for the item.
 31. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 30, wherein theshipping program user interface elements are displayed on said userinterface only to users subscribed to the shipping program.
 32. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 30, wherein thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements are single-actionuser interface elements; wherein said receiving over the network inputspecifying at least one of said at least some items that the user wantsto order comprises said receiving input from the subscribed userselecting one of the two or more shipping program user interfaceelements; and wherein said generating an order for the specified atleast one item comprises automatically generating the order in responseto said receiving input from the subscribed user selecting one of thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements, and wherein noadditional input from the user is required to generate the order. 33.The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, whereinsaid receiving over the network input specifying at least one of said atleast some items that the user wants to order comprises receiving amessage requesting an order of the at least one item for the subscribeduser on a web services interface of the e-commerce site.
 34. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein theprogram instructions are computer-executable to further implementsubscribing the user to the subscription-based shipping program inresponse to receiving input over the network from the user accessing oneor more subscription user interface elements of the e-commerce site. 35.The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, whereinthe program instructions are computer-executable to further implementautomatically subscribing the user to the subscription-based shippingprogram in response to receiving a single input over the network fromthe user selecting a single-action user interface element of thee-commerce site.
 36. The computer-accessible storage medium as recitedin claim 29, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable tofurther implement subscribing the user to the subscription-basedshipping program in response to receiving a subscription requestspecifying the user via a web services interface of the e-commerce site.37. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29,wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to furtherimplement subscribing the user to the subscription-based shippingprogram as an additional subscriber to an existing subscription with oneor more other current subscribers in response to receiving a response toan invitation to share the existing subscription to the shipping programsent to the user by the e-commerce site, wherein each subscriber to theexisting subscription has a separate account via which the subscriberaccesses the e-commerce site.
 38. The computer-accessible storage mediumas recited in claim 29, wherein the program instructions arecomputer-executable to further implement charging a subscription fee tothe user upon subscribing the user to the shipping program.
 39. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein theplurality of subscriber shipping options includes at least one shippingoption for which subscribed users are not charged for shipping for saidat least some items.
 40. The computer-accessible storage medium asrecited in claim 29, wherein the plurality of subscriber shippingoptions includes at least one shipping option for which subscribed usersare charged at a lower rate for shipping than non-subscribed users forsaid at least some items.
 41. The computer-accessible storage medium asrecited in claim 29, wherein the plurality of subscriber shippingoptions includes at least one shipping option for which subscribed usersare not charged for shipping for said at least some items and at leastone shipping option for which subscribed users are charged at a lowerrate for shipping than non-subscribed users for said at least someitems.
 42. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim29, wherein one of the plurality of subscriber shipping options is anoption for one or more features not offered to non-subscribers.
 43. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 42, wherein theone or more features include at least one of: expedited handling, theability to return the purchased item at no charge, free gift wrapping,free engraving, or access to a digital copy of the item.
 44. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein theprogram instructions are computer-executable to further implement:displaying one or more subscription sharing user interface elements tothe subscribed user, wherein the subscription sharing user interfaceelements are configured for receiving input to share existingsubscriptions to the shipping program with other users of the e-commercesite; and receiving input from the subscribed user accessing the one ormore subscription sharing user interface elements to share thesubscription to the shipping program with a user of the e-commerce sitespecified by the subscribed user, wherein each user that shares thesubscription has a separate account via which the user accesses thee-commerce site.
 45. The computer-accessible storage medium as recitedin claim 44, wherein the subscription sharing is limited to a definedcommunity to which the subscribed user belongs.
 46. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 45, wherein thedefined community is one of: the subscribed user's household, abusiness, a residence complex, or a school.
 47. The computer-accessiblestorage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the program instructionsare computer-executable to further implement: displaying one or moresubscription invitation user interface elements to the subscribed user,wherein the subscription invitation user interface elements areconfigured for receiving input to generate invitations to share existingsubscriptions to the shipping program with other users of the e-commercesite; receiving input from the subscribed user accessing the one or moresubscription invitation user interface elements to invite a user of thee-commerce site specified by the subscribed user to share thesubscription to the shipping program; and in response to said input fromthe subscribed user accessing the one or more subscription invitationuser interface elements, the e-commerce site sending an invitation tothe invited user to share the subscription to the shipping program. 48.The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 47, whereinthe program instructions are computer-executable to further implementreceiving input from the invited user to accept the invitation to sharethe subscriptions, wherein each user that shares the subscription has aseparate account via which the user accesses the e-commerce site. 49.The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, whereinthe subscription-based shipping program includes two or more levels ofsubscription, wherein subscribed users at different levels are providedwith one or more different shipping options for different subscriptionfees at the two or more levels of subscription.
 50. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein theprogram instructions are computer-executable to further implementdirecting each item ordered by the subscribed user according to one ofthe one or more subscriber shipping options to be shipped as soon as therespective item is available to be shipped.
 51. The computer-accessiblestorage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein the program instructionsare computer-executable to further implement directing two or more itemsseparately ordered by the subscribed user according to one of the one ormore subscriber shipping options to be consolidated and shipped in oneshipment.
 52. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim29, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to furtherimplement directing items ordered by the subscribed user according toone of the one or more subscriber shipping options to be shipped atscheduled shipping times at periodic or aperiodic intervals.
 53. Thecomputer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29, wherein theprogram instructions are computer-executable to further implementproviding subscribed users of the shipping program exclusive access toone or more services not offered to non-subscribed users of thee-commerce site.
 54. The computer-accessible storage medium as recitedin claim 53, wherein the one or more services include one of: expeditedhandling, the ability to return the purchased item at no charge, freegift wrapping, free engraving, or access to a digital copy of the item.55. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 29,wherein said at least some items offered on the e-commerce site areoffered to users subscribed to the shipping program at the same priceoffered to non-subscribed users.
 56. The computer-accessible storagemedium as recited in claim 55, wherein shipping charges to thesubscribed user for items shipped according to one of the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options are lower than shipping charges forrespective shipping options having the same delivery terms provided tonon-subscribed users.
 57. A system, comprising: one or more data storagedevices configured to store data for an enterprise; and one or moreservers configured to implement enterprise logic configured to: receiveover a network input identifying a user; based on the input identifyingthe user, determine whether the user is a current subscriber to asubscription-based shipping program that provides a plurality ofsubscriber shipping options for each of at least some items offered bythe enterprise for the duration of a subscription, wherein the pluralityof subscriber shipping options are provided only to users of thee-commerce site that are currently subscribed to the subscription-basedshipping program, and wherein the plurality of subscriber shippingoptions do not depend on a quantity of an item ordered; receive over thenetwork input specifying at least one of said at least some items thatthe user wants to order; and in response to determining that the user isa current subscriber to the subscription-based shipping program,generate an order for the specified at least one item directing the atleast one item to be shipped to the subscribed user according to one ofthe plurality of subscriber shipping options instead of a non-subscribershipping option; wherein at least one of the plurality of subscribershipping options provides shipping for the at least some items to thesubscribed user for the duration of the subscription at no additionalcost to the subscribed user beyond an initial cost of the subscription.58. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic isfurther configured to: receive input from the user to access a userinterface configured for accepting user orders of the particular item;and in response to determining that the user is a current subscriber tothe subscription-based shipping program, display two or more shippingprogram user interface elements on the user interface, wherein the twoor more shipping program user interface elements are configured forselecting among the plurality of subscriber shipping options for theitem; and receive input from the subscribed user selecting one of thetwo or more shipping program user interface elements to specify aparticular subscriber shipping option for the item.
 59. The system asrecited in claim 58, wherein the shipping program user interfaceelements are displayed on said user interface only to users subscribedto the shipping program.
 60. The system as recited in claim 58, whereinthe two or more shipping program user interface elements aresingle-action user interface elements; wherein, to receive over thenetwork input specifying at least one of said at least some items thatthe user wants to order, the enterprise logic is further configured toreceive input from the subscribed user selecting one of the two or moreshipping program user interface elements; and wherein, to generate anorder for the specified at least one item comprises, the enterpriselogic is further configured to automatically generate the order inresponse to said receiving input from the subscribed user selecting oneof the two or more shipping program user interface elements, and whereinno additional input from the user is required to generate the order. 61.The system as recited in claim 57, wherein, to receive over the networkinput specifying at least one of said at least some items that the userwants to order, the enterprise logic is further configured to receive amessage requesting an order of the at least one item for the subscribeduser on a web services interface of the enterprise.
 62. The system asrecited in claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is further configuredto subscribe the user to the subscription-based shipping program inresponse to receiving input over the network from the user accessing oneor more subscription user interface elements.
 63. The system as recitedin claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is further configured toautomatically subscribe the user to the subscription-based shippingprogram in response to receiving a single input over the network fromthe user selecting a single-action user interface element.
 64. Thesystem as recited in claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is furtherconfigured to subscribe the user to the subscription-based shippingprogram in response to receiving a subscription request specifying theuser via a web services interface of the enterprise.
 65. The system asrecited in claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is further configuredto subscribe the user to the subscription-based shipping program as anadditional subscriber to an existing subscription with one or more othercurrent subscribers in response to receiving a response to an invitationto share the existing subscription to the shipping program sent to theuser by the enterprise logic, wherein each subscriber to the existingsubscription has a separate account via which the subscriber accessesthe e-commerce site.
 66. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein theenterprise logic is further configured to charge a subscription fee tothe user upon subscribing the user to the shipping program.
 67. Thesystem as recited in claim 57, wherein the plurality of subscribershipping options includes at least one shipping option for whichsubscribed users are not charged for shipping for said at least someitems.
 68. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options includes at least one shipping option forwhich subscribed users are charged at a lower rate for shipping thannon-subscribed users for said at least some items.
 69. The system asrecited in claim 57, wherein the plurality of subscriber shippingoptions includes at least one shipping option for which subscribed usersare not charged for shipping for said at least some items and at leastone shipping option for which subscribed users are charged at a lowerrate for shipping than non-subscribed users for said at least someitems.
 70. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein one of theplurality of subscriber shipping options is an option for one or morefeatures not offered to non-subscribers.
 71. The system as recited inclaim 70, wherein the one or more features include at least one of:expedited handling, the ability to return the purchased item at nocharge, free gift wrapping, free engraving, or access to a digital copyof the item.
 72. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein theenterprise logic is further configured to: display one or moresubscription sharing user interface elements to the subscribed user,wherein the subscription sharing user interface elements are configuredfor receiving input to share existing subscriptions to the shippingprogram with other users and receive input from the subscribed useraccessing the one or more subscription sharing user interface elementsto share the subscription to the shipping program with a user specifiedby the subscribed user, wherein each user that shares the subscriptionhas a separate account via which the user accesses the e-commerce site.73. The system as recited in claim 72, wherein the subscription sharingis limited to a defined community to which the subscribed user belongs.74. The system as recited in claim 73, wherein the defined community isone of: the subscribed user's household, a business, a residencecomplex, or a school.
 75. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein theenterprise logic is further configured to: display one or moresubscription invitation user interface elements to the subscribed user,wherein the subscription invitation user interface elements areconfigured for receiving input to generate invitations to share existingsubscriptions to the shipping program with other users; receive inputfrom the subscribed user accessing the one or more subscriptioninvitation user interface elements to invite a user specified by thesubscribed user to share the subscription to the shipping program; andin response to said input from the subscribed user accessing the one ormore subscription invitation user interface elements, send an invitationto the invited user to share the subscription to the shipping program.76. The system as recited in claim 75, wherein the enterprise logic isfurther configured to receive input from the invited user to accept theinvitation to share the subscription, wherein each user that shares thesubscription has a separate account via which the user accesses thee-commerce site.
 77. The system as recited in claim 57, wherein thesubscription-based shipping program includes two or more levels ofsubscription, wherein subscribed users at different levels are providedwith one or more different shipping options for different subscriptionfees at the two or more levels of subscription.
 78. The system asrecited in claim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is further configuredto direct each item ordered by the subscribed user according to one ofthe one or more subscriber shipping options to be shipped as soon as therespective item is available to be shipped.
 79. The system as recited inclaim 57, wherein the enterprise logic is further configured to directtwo or more items separately ordered by the subscribed user according toone of the one or more subscriber shipping options to be consolidatedand shipped in one shipment.
 80. The system as recited in claim 57,wherein the enterprise logic is further configured to direct itemsordered by the subscribed user according to one of the one or moresubscriber shipping options to be shipped at scheduled shipping times atperiodic or aperiodic intervals.
 81. The system as recited in claim 57,wherein the enterprise logic is further configured to provide subscribedusers of the shipping program exclusive access to one or more servicesnot offered to non-subscribed users.
 82. The system as recited in claim81, wherein the one or more services include one of: expedited handling,the ability to return the purchased item at no charge, free giftwrapping, free engraving, or access to a digital copy of the item. 83.The system as recited in claim 57, wherein said at least some itemsoffered by the enterprise are offered to users subscribed to theshipping program at the same price offered to non-subscribed users. 84.The system as recited in claim 83, wherein shipping charges to thesubscribed user for items shipped according to one of the plurality ofsubscriber shipping options are lower than shipping charges forrespective shipping options having the same delivery terms provided tonon-subscribed users.
 85. A computer-implemented method, comprising:determining, on an e-commerce site implemented on one or more computerdevices, whether a user is a current subscriber to a subscription-basedshipping program that provides two or more subscriber shipping optionsfor at least some items offered on the e-commerce site for the durationof a subscription, wherein the two or more subscriber shipping optionsare provided only to users of the e-commerce site that are currentlysubscribed to the subscription-based shipping program, and wherein thetwo or more subscriber shipping options do not depend on a quantity ofan item ordered; in response to determining that the user is a currentsubscriber to the subscription-based shipping program, displaying two ormore single-action user interface elements on the user interface,wherein the two or more single-action user interface elements areconfigured for selecting among the two or more subscriber shippingoptions for at least one of said at least some items; receiving inputfrom the subscribed user selecting one of the two or more shippingprogram user interface elements to specify a particular subscribershipping option for at least one of said at least some items that theuser wants to order; and in response to said receiving input from thesubscribed user selecting one of the two or more shipping program userinterface elements, automatically generating an order for the at leastone of said at least some items that the user wants to order directingthe item to be shipped to a location specified by the subscribed useraccording to the selected one of the two or more subscriber shippingoptions instead of a non-subscriber shipping option, wherein noadditional input from the user is required to generate the order.